


Second Chances- A Draco Malfoy Love Story

by Hellocaraaa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy - Freeform, F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform, Love, Original Character - Freeform, Romance, Second Chances, wizarding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-04-05 21:17:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4195215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellocaraaa/pseuds/Hellocaraaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Kyra lost her best friend in the battle of Hogwarts, she decided to start over in an American wizarding university. Her fresh start gets complicated when she realizes Draco Malfoy is also looking for a second chance at life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Kyra closed her eyes, letting a deep sigh pass her lips. It was all she could do to hold herself together. She could feel the tears threatening to fall and knew if she let them, they would never stop. Chelsea's parents were only a few feet from her and she had sworn to be brave for them. After a few moments, Kyra opened her eyes; half hoping that when she looked up, everything would be different. She bit her lip, realizing it was still there. Chelsea's casket was ten feet from her, the headstone beside it reading her name and last week's date. Kyra inhaled sharply, the tears pricking at the back of her eyes. Chelsea's picture was displayed on the other side of the grave. She was wearing her uniform, the yellow and black colors of her tie just barely visible. A smile played at Kyra's lips as she remembered how long it had taken to get her to smile for the picture.

Chelsea had always been difficult. She was stubborn and independent and incredibly quick witted. Kyra had spent nearly twenty minutes taking her picture, trying desperately to get her to smile. It wasn't until someone behind her had made a joke that Kyra was able to get one of Chelsea smiling. That was nearly four months ago.

Kyra's eyes flicked back to the casket and she couldn't hold the tears back anymore. Her best friend was gone and she would never be able to hear her laugh again. She could still hear her scream echoing in the back of her mind. She could still picture her lifeless body on the ground, covered in rubble. The only thing she saw when she closed her eyes was Chelsea's face, pale and unmoving.

"Kyra?" Her mother's voice snapped her into reality. She glanced up to see the coffin had already been lowered into the ground and there was a man looking expectantly at her, "It's your turn darling." Kyra gulped and stepped forward, her legs turning to jello. The world was moving in slow motion as she bent down to grab a handful of dirt. She could hardly feel her hands as she took a deep breath and tossed the dirt onto the coffin. She closed her eyes again, squeezing them shut. It was fruitless, as the tears streamed down her face. She hastily brushed the dirt off against her legs and stepped back. She could hardly see as the tears clouded her eyes. She was really gone. Chelsea was dead.

The rest of the funeral passed in a blur. After saying her goodbyes and listening to dozens of condolences, her parents finally ushered Kyra out the door. She retreated to her bedroom as soon as they arrived back at the house, throwing herself onto her bed, curling up in a puddle of tears again. She picked the letter up off her nightstand, holding it close, rereading it again. 'Dear Ms. Kyra Harding, we are pleased to inform you of your admission to Fanderbold University of Witchcraft and Wizardry'.The war was over. The Battle of Hogwarts had changed everything. It was time for a new start. It was time to leave London behind and forget about this life. Chelsea and Kyra had always dreamed of starting over in America. This would be her new beginning.


	2. Chapter 1

"WELCOME FRESHMEN TO THE FANDERBOLD UNIVERSITY OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY" The words were illuminated above the towering building. It was freshman orientation at the college. Kyra stared up at the looming granite statue of Theobod Merkin, the school's founder. His head was swiveling to follow the students as they passed. She kept her head down and continued into the school, following the steady stream of students. The students came to a halt in an enormous room with five long tables. Three of the walls were entirely covered in windows, the fourth containing the door. Kyra studied the room carefully, taking in the beauty. Just outside the back wall was a picturesque lake, an enormous bridge passing over it. A forest filled the view out the wall on the far end of the room, extending forward along the edge of the front.

The students were milling about, some sitting at the tables. Leaning against the wall, Kyra glanced around; everyone seemed to have their groups. It was incredibly clear that the majority of the students had gone to school together beforehand. Nervously scanning the room, she tried to identify anyone she'd been to school with at Hogwarts. While this school was supposed to be her new start, it had suddenly become very clear that she was an outsider. Kyra deeply inhaled, closing her eyes, Chelsea's voice filling her mind, mocking her for being antisocial. The smile crept to Kyra's face and she started forward, searching out someone approachable.

Kyra wandered through the room for fifteen minutes, clearly being overly skeptical, not allowing herself to chose someone to talk to. As she decided against another group of friends, she collided with someone. Apologies were pouring out of her mouth without thought as she looked up. The girl in front of her was shaking her head slightly. She was a few inches taller than Kyra, her tousled brown hair falling half way down her back. Her cheeks were rosy and cheerful as she smiled at Kyra, who mumbled out one more apology

"Hey no worries, it was an accident." She laughed it off, her American accent taking Kyra by surprise. As the girl turned to pass her, Kyra sucked in a breath; Chelsea's voice not leaving her mind.

"I'm Kyra." The words fumbled out quickly and she bit her lip. She'd never been very good at socializing. She let out an inaudible sigh of relief when the girl turned around, smiling.

"Hayden," her voice was friendly as she let out a breathy laugh, "Where are you from? I don't recognize you from Tromington." Kyra made a note to remember that was the name of the American school.

"I'm from London. I went to Hogwarts." She felt slightly more at ease as she realized the girl was continuing the conversation. Hayden's mouth pursed together slightly.

"Were you…there? Ya know, during the battle?" Kyra's chest constricted and her face fell slightly, though she quickly attempted to recover her smile. She nodded silently, unsure if she could get any words out. "What was it like? Did you see him die? I can't even imagine seeing that much action. I-" She stopped as she noticed Kyra's smile fading, "I'm sorry. It must have been terrible. I didn't mean to pry." Kyra shook her head, forcing half a laugh past her lips.

"It's alright. I just try not to think about it. It was-" Kyra was cut off as two more girls rushed over.

"Hayden!" One of them cried, "Did you see? Marcus came here too! He says he was talking to some kids he met today. They went to Hogwarts. Can you imagine?" Her voice was low and serious. She glanced over at Kyra, a flicker of a puzzled look crossing her face, "I'm Ellie." She offered Kyra her hand and shook it, slowly.

"Kyra. Did you happen to catch the names of the people from Hogwarts?" Her voice was carefully calm. She took a moment to take in their appearances. Ellie was petite, her blonde hair cut into a pageboy look. Her friend had a nervous look on her face. The tight ringlets of her hair were pulled up in a loose ponytail. Her warm mahogany skin complemented by her golden brown eyes.

"Oh…ah no he didn't mention any names," Ellie glanced over at Hayden. Kyra silently cursed herself for making everyone uncomfortable, "This is Madison," Kyra glanced quickly at her, smiling slightly, "Are you from Hogwarts too?" Ellie's tone was easing slightly. She nodded, the corner of her mouth pulling up. She opened her mouth to speak again but quickly turned as the doors to the cafeteria shut, several professors walking in.

A tall, balding Vietnamese man stood at the center. He cleared his throat and everyone looked up. His booming voice called out over the room, "Good Morning. I am Headmaster Penaval and on behalf of the entire faculty; I would like to officially welcome you to Fanderbold University. I do hope this year will be all you dreamed of. In a few moments, I will release you to claim your dorms. The dorms sleep four and are located in three primary locations. There are dorms down the stairs to the right, two floors above us, and on the fifth floor. Please claim your dorms and unpack. You are to meet in this room at noon. Lunch will be served and afterward, you will receive a tour of the university. You may go now." Kyra glanced at the girls beside her. Her stomach was tightening at the idea of fending for herself if they didn't ask her to room with them. She eased quickly as Hayden waved her toward them to the stairs.

Kyra unpacked quickly, wanting to further acquaint herself with her new roommates. They had decided to room on the bottom floor, their room looking out at the lake. She could hear the students outside their dorm filing into nearby rooms. Ellie had grabbed Marcus on their way down, quickly introducing Kyra before rushing ahead to grab two adjacent dorms. Marcus was tall, nearly a foot taller than her. He was incredibly gangly, awkward but polite. He had met Hayden, Ellie, and Madison at Tromington. They were in the same house, their equivalent of Gryffindor.

The girls' dorm consisted of a common room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Ellie and Madison shared theirs and Kyra roomed with Hayden. The rooms were simple, two four-poster beds and all white walls, each side with a dresser. The back wall, however, had a small window that looked out at the lake. The common room was plain, one long couch with an arm chair, pointing toward the fireplace. Along the right hand side was a small kitchen with a sink, stove, oven, and refrigerator.

After quickly stuffing her clothing into the dresser drawers, Kyra turned to Hayden. She was wracking her brain, trying to think of the right question to ask. Before she could think of anything, Hayden was talking, "So what was it like at Hogwarts?" she asked breezily, not turning her head.

Kyra stopped briefly, memories of the final year flooding her brain. She remembered the students walking around, covered in bruises from the Carrows, "It used to be good. The last year was difficult. It had been great before that, though. The best years of my life," A genuine grin rose to her face as she thought about it, "What is it like here in America?"

"It's not bad. Tromington was a good school. I made a lot of great friends there and I'm very lucky I got to go. It still seems so surreal. Both my parents are muggles. I could hardly believe it when I got my letter." Kyra laughed slightly; she couldn't imagine the kind of shock that must have been. She'd grown up with magic in her life constantly.

It was then that they heard the sound of male voices in the dorm. Kyra assumed Marcus had come over, bringing his roommates. Walking outside, she stopped short, glancing at the other boys in the room. She only saw two of them. Marcus introduced them as Eli Smuller and Derek Holden. Kyra smiled politely and introduced herself. The door creaked open then, his third roommate walking in. Kyra's heart sank immediately as she recognized the boy stalking into the room. Her head spun as Draco Malfoy walked in. Excusing herself quickly, she ran to the bathroom, throwing up as the image of Chelsea swirled in her mind. The scene was replaying itself over and over. All she could see was Lucius Malfoy sending a killing curse at her best friend.


	3. Chapter 2

Kyra had recovered quickly, the shock of seeing him wearing off. She stepped out of the bathroom, carefully avoiding eye contact with Malfoy. He had introduced himself when she came out of the bathroom and Kyra realized he didn't know who she was. She'd been silently praying that no one would mention how she went to Hogwarts but it was to no avail.

"You don't know her?" Marcus prodded, "You both went to Hogwarts. Shouldn't you at least recognize her?" Malfoy's face faltered and he studied Kyra carefully, his eyes attempting to communicate something she couldn't quite understand.

"No I don't think I've ever seen her before," He mumbled, more to Marcus than anyone else, "Besides," his voice growing a bit louder, "I'm sure she doesn't know me either. It was a big school and I was practically invisible." Kyra's eyes narrowed and she thought back to how notorious he was at Hogwarts. Everyone knew who he was. And they all knew he was a deatheater. Why would Marcus room with a known deatheater? His face was all over the local news. They had shown the entire trial for the deatheaters. Lucius had been sentenced to death- most of them had. Draco was found not guilty, which was a major shock to everyone. There was no way Marcus didn't know about him. She didn't want to cause a scene around everyone if they were aware of who he was.

Kyra introduced herself hastily, excusing herself to talk to Madison. She told Kyra how she was here to train to be a healer. Kyra explained how she hadn't quite decided what she wanted to be. Chelsea and Kyra had wanted to be aurors when they were younger but she'd recently been having a lot of second thoughts. She wasn't sure if it had to do with losing her best friend or not but she knew she didn't want to think too much about it.

They all made their way back to the cafeteria shortly after, finding seats all together. Kyra did everything she could not to glance at Malfoy. Thankfully, he never attempted to talk to her. Midway through lunch, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. After getting a few steps out the door way, Kyra felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, jumping slightly. Her heart fell when she saw Malfoy's face. She felt her breathing hitch slightly and she turned back around, walking away as quickly as she could. She had only made it a few feet away before he grabbed her arm. Her eyes narrowed and she snatched her arm out of his grasp, anger rising inside her. Kyra never got angry and it scared her when she did.

"Look," He started, stepping back slightly, "I know you know who I am. I really appreciate you not saying anything back there; this school was my chance to get away from everything. I needed to start over and no one in America knows my name. I'm sure you hate me, everyone did, but it means a lot that you didn't mention who I really was. Thank you" Kyra could feel the anger bubbling. How could he think she did this for him? She would never help him start over; he didn't deserve it. Not after everything his family did.

"It wasn't for you. I assumed they knew. But you can bet your ass that they'll know by tonight. I don't help murderers." Her voice was getting louder; she could feel herself losing control. Her entire body was shaking, heat flowing to her cheeks. She had never been so brash. The slight smile he'd been wearing had faded and he was staring at Kyra, slightly panicked.

"Please, this means everything to me. The person you knew at Hogwarts, that's not me. I'm not a deatheater. You have to believe me," Kyra's eyes drifted to the partially exposed mark on his arm. He bit his lip, his hand flying over to cover it sheepishly, "Please…"

"Do you even know who I am?" She snapped, trying and failing to get her volume under control. His face fell, "I didn't think so." Turning to walk away, she took a deep breath. Chelsea would have been proud. She was always telling Kyra to stick up for herself. That was always Chelsea's job though.

She got half way to the bathroom when she felt the hand on her shoulder again. Prepared to make a scene, Kyra turned around, only to be pushed hard against the stone wall. Malfoy was only inches from her face, his hands on her shoulders. She'd never actually spoken to him before today. She was realizing now why people were so afraid of him. He was seething, his mouth pressed into a tight line, his eyes narrowed. Kyra's anger was quickly washed away, overwhelming fear taking its place. This was precisely why she never stood up for herself. She was shaking, unable to breathe. "Do not fucking tell anyone. Do you hear me?" He snarled, his personality doing a complete 360, "Don't make me do something I'll regret," His hands came off her and he stepped back slightly, his tone lightening, "Understand?" Kyra nodded the best she could, desperately holding back tears. He then walked off as if nothing had happened. Sliding down the wall, she put her face in her hands, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't catch her breath.

After several minutes of calming down, Kyra collected herself, returning to the cafeteria. He was only three seats away and hardly glanced up when she sat down. Ellie looked up, noticing Kyra's half panicked look, "You okay Kyra?" Malfoy's head snapped over to look at her.

"Yeah I'm fine," Kyra forced a smile to her face, "Just nervous about classes." Her voice came out much more confident than she felt. Ellie went on to talk about what she hoped her schedule would be. Trying her best to be convincing, Kyra laughed and nodded, occasionally contributing to the conversation. Her eyes kept flicking over to him though. He was unphased, as if he hadn't threatened her only five minutes prior.

The tour of the university went fine as they parted ways with the boys, allowing Kyra to relax a little. The building was beautiful, straight out of her dreams. It distracted her from what had happened earlier. The girls got to know each other much better, talking about their home lives and discussing the idea of a dorm pet.

Hayden explained that she was hoping to go into Wizarding Technology. Kyra had never thought much about technology, mostly because the European wizarding community was thoroughly unconcerned with it. Hayden was sharp and witty, she truthfully reminded Kyra of Ginny Weasley. Kyra had grown fond of Ginny when the two had been in Dumbledore's Army together, however, she hadn't reached out since Chelsea's funeral.

Ellie was interested in art of all sorts. She enjoyed painting and sculpting and drawing. She even owned a wizard camera. Her mother, who had passed away three year prior, had been a fairly popular painter in the States.

"My dad keeps telling me i'll be just as popular as my mom but that's just absurd. I'm not nearly as talented as she was. It's honestly too much to live up to." Madison shook her head.

"That's absolute nonsense." She said, turning to Kyra. "She is truthfully one of the most talented artists i've ever seen. I have at least five of her paintings hung up back at home." Madison had explained earlier that she had grown up next door to Ellie in Chicago. Apparently there was a large wizarding neighborhood there.

After touring, they returned to their dorm to see their schedules on the table in the common room. Kyra was thrilled, rushing over to grab hers. Their freshman year, they were required to take general courses. They had six courses: defense against the dark arts, potions, history of magic, charms, a language of their choice (Kyra had chosen troll), and arithmancy. She had history of magic with Hayden. Ellie and Kyra had troll together. All three of them had charms together. All in all, it wasn't terrible. Classes started tomorrow and Kyra was actually excited, the memory of earlier not at the front of her mind anymore. As long as she could stay away from Malfoy, she thought, this year could be okay.


	4. Chapter 3

Kyra jumped to the side quickly, the jet of green light narrowly missing her head. The castle is in ruins around them. She can hardly get her bearings. The bodies around them are so distracting, how was she expected to concentrate when there were dozens of dead bodies around her? She glances over at Chelsea, she's expertly blocking curses and throwing them back. She hardly looks over at Kyra for a second. "Come on Ky, don't lose it on me just yet!" A grin spreads across her face, "You're not allowed to get yourself killed here." Kyra shakes her head at Chelsea, smirking, and gets beside her as they take on the other deatheaters. She hits one of them with a stunning spell, sending him backwards. There's only one left now. Chelsea turns to her, "Nice shot Ky-" Kyra looks up to see the green light hit the side of Chelsea's head, the light leaving her eyes. Panic fills her body as she catches Chelsea before she falls. Kyra's breathing catches and she looks down at her best friend. Shaking her desperately and shouting her name, Kyra can't see anything anymore. Her eyes are filling with tears as she shouts at Chelsea not to leave her. She looks over to the death eater they were fighting to see who did it. Her heart stops as she sees the head of white hair fifteen feet from her. Draco Malfoy killed her best friend.

Kyra shot up in bed, sweat pouring down her face. She's breathing heavily, desperately attempting to calm herself down. It was just a dream. That's not what happened. Taking a deep breath, she relaxes slightly, finally taking a look around. The sun is streaming in the window and Hayden is still asleep in bed. Glancing at the clock, she realizes she still has an hour before she needs to be awake. She sighs, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, knowing she's not going to be able to get back to sleep. Her stomach grumbled and she decided to get dressed and make some breakfast.

Kyra finished up with some pancakes, making enough for the four of them, and started on the coffee. Just as she was getting the plates out, Hayden wandered out of her room. Her eyes landed on Kyra briefly and she grinned, "Pancakes?" Kyra smiled and offered her a plate.

"I made coffee too if you're interested." Hayden's eyes lit up as she grabbed utensils and sat on the couch.

"I knew I made the right choice in roommate!" Kyra poured her a cup and handed it to her, sitting down next to her with her breakfast, "You ready for classes today?" She asked between bites. Kyra gave her a half smile, still freaked out by her dream.

"I hope so. I just hope Marcus is in one of my other classes so I'm not totally alone. I also wouldn't mind seeing Eli again." Kyra giggled quietly and Hayden raised an eyebrow before laughing.

"Eli, huh?" She started, her voice full of amusement, "He's pretty cute. And you're definitely his type," Kyra blushed furiously and cracked a small smile, "He's got a thing for the bright red hair." She subconsciously twirled her hair around her finger. Her hair was a dark crimson and fell half way down her back.

"I suppose I'm in luck then!" Kyra bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Maybe today would be better than she had thought. Hayden elbowed her lightly.

"Besides, with your accent, how could he resist?" Madison and Ellie walked out as they were laughing, asking what was so funny, "Kyra's got herself a crush on Eli!" Ellie squealed. They spent nearly 45 minutes gossiping about the boys and who was cute. Apparently, Madison used to date Marcus. They were okay now, it wasn't weird between them but it was clear that she still had feelings for him.

Hayden turned to Kyra, "And honestly, that kid from your school, Draco, he's super hot!" Kyra tried her best not to let her smile fade, "How well did you know him? Do you know anything about him?" Her lips pressed into a tight line as she remembered his threat.

"No, I vaguely recognize him but that's all." She hoped Hayden would drop it and move on but the three of them kept on about it. It wasn't until Marcus walked in that they stopped. Kyra silently thanked him.

He helped himself to pancakes, sitting down to compare schedules with them. He was in their charms class but that was all. Kyra sighed; she'd been hoping to have someone in her DADA class, potions, and arithmancy. Maybe Eli would be in them. Kyra kicked herself for already being interested in a boy. At Hogwarts, she had dated a lot. She wanted university to be different but maybe she was doomed.

She excused herself to finish getting ready. It was exciting to be at a school without uniforms. She'd been in Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and yellow and black weren't her colors. It was late August and pretty warm out so she decided on a floral sundress for her outfit. She used her wand to set light curls- one of the greatest uses for her wand that she'd found- as well as doing winged eyeliner.

As she finished getting ready, she walked back into the common room. Marcus was gone but Ellie was on the couch. She told her the girls were still getting ready but might be a while so they decided to head to class on their own. Ellie had potions as her first class and it was on the same floor as their dorm so they didn't get to walk very far together. Defense against the dark arts was on the third floor so Kyra began the climb and got in just in time. The room was set up in several rows of three. She spotted Eli and tried not to get excited. He looked back and saw her so he waved her over with a smile. Calmly walking over, she took the seat beside him. She got a good look at him then. He was very attractive. His brown hair was ruffled just right and he had a little bit of scruff on his face.

Kyra shot him a warm smile, trying not to think about Hayden saying she was his type. They were talking for a few minutes before someone came in and sat down on his other side. She glanced over and her smile faltered as she saw Malfoy. He smiled politely and said hello as she tried to regain her composure. She wasn't about to let him ruin her day.

The teacher walked in before they had a chance to talk more. She couldn't have been more thankful. The teacher spent most of the class discussing the plan for the year and the different things they would be learning. Kyra spaced out for the majority of it but kept catching Eli looking at her. It made it difficult not to smile the entire class.

The teacher dismissed them and Kyra walked out with Eli, only to find out that he was up to the Astronomy classroom while she was heading back down to potions. She sighed dramatically, causing him to laugh before they parted ways. She walked to potions with a smile on her face. This day was off to a decent start considering the way she woke up.

She got to potions and took a seat by herself. She kept an eye on the door, watching to see if she knew anyone that came in. A petite girl with long, wiry hair came and sat next to her, introducing herself as Robbin. Kyra smiled and introduced herself politely before looking back to see that Malfoy had taken a seat at the table behind her. She closed her eyes, shaking her head. As the teacher began class, she instructed them to stand up and she began to give assigned seating. Kyra grimaced, praying she would be as far away from Malfoy as possible. She sat Kyra in the last row and she walked over, frowning. Potions was her worst class so she was really hoping to sit up front. She felt her stomach fall, however, as Malfoy walked over, sitting next to her. Of course he would be sitting next to her. It wasn't like she was hoping to avoid him all year, She thought to herself.

The class was uneventful. He didn't attempt to talk to her so she was pleased. She rushed out as soon as class was over and headed to history of magic. She was lucky enough to have this class with Hayden. They honestly talked the entire class. She'd learned about the Goblin War when she was six; she had no interest in learning it again.

The girls had decided to just do lunch in the dorm, which the guys decided to join them for. Madison made grilled cheese and Kyra made a salad. She stayed in the kitchen as long as she could but she could still feel Malfoy's eyes on her back. He was, honestly, very off putting. She wished she could tell Hayden that she didn't want him around but she was too afraid.

She had Charms next. This class had practically everyone in it. Kyra sat with the girls but Marcus and Eli were at the next table. She would be lying if she said she hadn't noticed Eli smiling at her any time she looked over. His smile was so cute. It made charms hard to pay attention to.

Ellie and Kyra went to their language class together. It was the first time she'd taken a language and she was not very good at it. Some of the sounds they had to make were very strange and hard to make. She was honestly thrilled when they finally got to leave.

Her last class of the day was arithmancy. Kyra had always excelled in this class because math was her strong suite. She sat next to a boy that she recognized from Hogwarts named Dean Thomas. He dated one of her friends in school so they had gotten to be somewhat friendly. It wasn't until about half way through class that she looked over to see Malfoy on the other side of the room, staring hard at Dean and her. She wondered if he was going to threaten Dean too. Shaking off the thought, she focused on the professor again. Her mind kept going back to him, though. He scared her so much. Even from across the room she was afraid of him. She needed to just forget everything that had happened. It was for her own good that she just thought of him as a stranger. From then on, she decided, she didn't know Draco Malfoy. She couldn't.


	5. Chapter 4

Kyra tried her best to rush out of the classroom. The girls had agreed to meet each other in the cafeteria for dinner after class so she was packing up quickly, knowing the classroom was on the other side of the school. As she made her way outside, she felt a cold hand on her arm, pulling her aside. She let out a deep sigh as she realized she was face to face with Malfoy again. She found herself wondering why he couldn't just leave her alone.

"Can we not do this now? I'm not going to say anything to anyone Malfoy; I just want to get to the cafeteria." She kept her voice level, not wanting to set him off again. Besides, she was more nervous than she was angry.

He glanced down at her, sheepishly. She'd not noticed how much taller he was until now, "Kyra, I wanted to…apologize," His voice was sincere but hesitant. It was clear he wasn't accustomed to apologizing, "I lost my cool yesterday and I'm not proud of it. This school is my second chance I didn't want to start it like that. We have a lot of classes together and you live across the hall so I don't want things to be uncomfortable for us." He wasn't making eye contact, which made him less intimidating. His piercing blue eyes were difficult to get past.

"We hang out with the same people," Kyra started, trying to sound confident as his eyes locked back on her, "I don't want to be uncomfortable any time you're around either," Her dream from last night was suddenly filling her brain, the image of him killing Chelsea playing on repeat, " I can't be your friend though. We can be civil but you need to understand that there is no way I'm going to be friends with you." He shut his eyes, briefly, his mouth pressed into a hard line.

"Fine. Whatever. I wasn't saying I wanted to be friends. I just need you to not jump ten feet every time you see me. It's going to look suspicious." He didn't give her a chance to respond before he stormed away. She felt her body relax slightly and she grabbed her books, taking a deep breath to steady herself before starting off to the cafeteria.

Madison was already at the table when she got there so Kyra took a seat next to her, asking how her classes went today. Propping herself up on her elbow, she listened to Madison talk about how much she liked the DADA teacher. She made several quick remarks about the kids in her class. Having gone to school at Tromington, she already knew almost half the class. Madison was honestly hilarious, something Kyra hadn't expected considering how bookish everyone implied she was. She reminded Kyra a lot of Chelsea in that way. Their sense of humor was nearly identical.

It was only a few minutes until Hayden and Ellie got there, the boys following shortly after them. Eli sat across from Kyra, shooting her a quick smile. Kyra felt the heat rise to her cheeks and managed a small smile. Before she had a chance to say anything to him, Hayden was talking, "How do you guys feel about a Disney movie night?" Everyone was suddenly talking excitedly.

Kyra's brow furrowed in confusion, "What's Disney?" she heard a series of small gasps. Hayden let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

"Disney is a muggle company. They make children's movies. Some of the best movies out there, honestly!" Kyra had only seen a few movies before. Her parents didn't keep many muggle things around the house when she was younger, "Well we definitely need to have a Disney movie night now! After dinner, we'll all head up to our dorm. I learned a spell a few years back to project movies through my wand. Anybody good with popcorn?" Draco raised his hand slightly. Hayden clapped her hands together, "Great! If we go now, I bet we can get in four movies tonight!" Kyra smirked, raising an eyebrow. Hayden stood quickly, ushering everyone up and out. Kyra breathed a laugh, following behind her.

Eli walked beside her, "I can't believe you've never heard of Disney. Every kid grows up on Disney!" He chuckled; his laugh was lofty and Kyra couldn't help but grin back at him.

"One of the downfalls of growing up in the wizarding world, I suppose."

"Not in America. Muggle culture is pretty main stream here. Muggle movies were common place in my house. From what i've heard, European wizarding schools don't feel quite the same way about muggles. We've been required to take Muggle studies classes every year since year 2." Kyra was floored. She had opted out of muggle studies in Hogwarts. 

He turned to Malfoy on his other side, "Tell me you've heard of Disney!" Malfoy shook his head, looking nearly as confused as Kyra had been, "People from Hogwarts are missing out on everything. Did you watch any movies growing up? I know it's a muggle thing but c'mon, movies are still great!" He was so excited; it was hard not to give a small smile. Without a chance to respond, Kyra felt Eli tugging at her hand, encouraging her to quickly head downstairs.

When they got back to the dorm, Hayden was already setting the common room up, pulling the couches together and having an animated discussion with Ellie about which Disney movies to watch. Kyra was listening to try to hear a title that sounded even vaguely familiar but most of them were completely foreign to her. Once she finally heard one she recognized, she piped in, "Ooh! The Lion King, that sounds familiar!" Everyone was murmuring about that being a good movie and it became the first movie of the night.

Most of the group was already filling up one of the couches and the chair. Eli was on the other couch, Marcus on his other side. Kyra took a seat next to him when he patted the empty spot by his side. Hayden, who had moved in particularly close to Derek, had switched the lights off so Kyra hoped Eli wouldn't notice the blush that rose to her cheeks. The movie was just beginning when Hayden stopped it, "Draco come on, there's a seat next to Kyra. Bring the popcorn." Malfoy was standing in the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn in his hands. Kyra could see him hesitate slightly before shuffling over. She didn't have to see him to know he was uncomfortable as he settled in next to her. The couch was getting snug and there was very little room between them.

"Popcorn?" He offered, quietly. Kyra silently grabbed a small handful of popcorn as the movie started. The movie began with a song in a language she didn't recognize but she could hardly hear as the rest of the group was shouting along with it.

The movie was great. No one warned Kyra that she would cry so she was completely unprepared. She hadn't imagined that a children's movie could make her so emotional. It was also plenty funny too, though. She even caught Malfoy chuckling at some parts. It was strange to see someone so serious laugh. He looked genuinely happy. It was a strange emotion on him; it made him appear so innocent. Maybe he isn't all bad, Kyra thought.The thought barely made its way into her mind before she shut it out completely. She couldn't start to believe things like that. Draco Malfoy was a murderer and she couldn't let her guard down.


	6. Chapter 5

Kyra rolled her eyes dramatically, a giggle escaping her lips. Eli had been swirling his wand above the desk, creating a small 3d paper drawing of the professor. It was mimicking the professor's movements perfectly and Kyra stifled a laugh. In the past week, it had become increasingly clear to her that Eli was never serious. He was consistently cracking jokes or messing with other students. She watched intently as he flicked his wand once more and the drawing began to tear itself apart. Glancing up briefly, she noticed Malfoy watching out of the corner of his eye, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.

The professor dismissed the class and Eli gave one final twirl of his wand, the bits of shredded paper sweeping themselves up, landing in the nearby trash can. Kyra shook her head, breathing a laugh as she gathered her things and followed him out the door. Classes had been going better than she'd expected. Malfoy primarily avoided her and she was getting better acquainted with the rest of the group quickly. There was very rarely a time when at least one of the boys wasn't in their dorm. Without a curfew, they would stay until nearly two in the morning, playing cards or watching movies. Even Malfoy spent a decent amount of time in the dorm with them. He was, of course, incredibly different here than he was at Hogwarts. While still being arrogant, he was also incredibly funny and had proven to be relatively helpful to the other girls. They would be civil toward each other; however, there was still an uncomfortable air between them. She didn't suspect it was noticeable to anyone outside of the two of them, but if no one was around, he avoided her like the plague.

As she approached the potions classroom, Kyra was hit with a pungent odor. The rich irony scent of dragon's blood mixed with earthy lavender filled the room, spilling out into the hallway. It was immediately clear that they would be concocting memory potions. They hadn't brewed any potions yet this year, of which Kyra was glad. She knew as soon as they started brewing, her grade would slip. As she gravitated toward her seat, she noticed a cauldron placed on each table. This definitely did not bode well for her grade.

Malfoy slid into his seat beside her, casually eyeing the cauldron and fixing his eyes at the front of the room, per usual. The professor came to the front of the classroom, clearing her throat. She instructed everyone to work in pairs with the other classmate at their table. Kyra groaned internally, realizing she would need to communicate with him today. Glancing over at him, his expression was carefully blank. The professor waved her wand at the board, the page number of the instructions appearing in messy, white chalk.

Letting out a quiet breath, Kyra grabbed her textbook, flipping it open to the page, and setting it between them. She barely caught the brief sound of a sigh escaping his lips as he resigned himself to finally looking at her. Her eyes grazed over his face, avoiding eye contact, as she was fully aware how unnerving it could be to look him in the eyes. The tension between them was unbearable, "I uh…I'm not too great at potions so you should probably take the lead on this." Kyra's voice was shaky and she laughed nervously, attempting to break the ice.

"Well we should start by being on the correct page," Glancing down, she realized he was right. She huffed, pursing her lips, and hanging her head in defeat. He had a look of amusement on his face, "Why don't I go get the ingredients? You stay here and try not to break anything." He was breathing a laugh and Kyra faked an offended look.

"No promises." He smirked as he strode off toward the cabinet. She picked at the table, distracting her from her minor anxiety. Within a minute, he was placing the ingredients on the tabletop. Kyra studied them carefully, glancing back at the textbook to try to identify each one. She held up an arrow shaped object. It was golden, freckled, and smooth to the touch. She ran her finger up and down it.

"It's a barb from a dragon's tail." Malfoy was rolling his eyes at her. Kyra nodded, her face hard, "Okay, can you light the cauldron; I'm going to start pressing the lavender." After digging around under the table, he grabbed a knife and a piece of lavender. She tightened her grip on her wand, carefully lighting the fire under the ancient black cauldron. Glancing over, Kyra noticed him pressing the lavender between his thumb and the knife over the top, the essence dripping into the pot. She watched carefully, looking back to see how bored he looked. His eyes flicked down, catching hers as she looked away quickly, focusing on the book, "If you're done staring at me, you can chop the dragon tail." Kyra felt the heat rush to her face and carefully slid her hand onto the table to take the tail back. She fished out a second knife from under the table and began slicing the tail diagonally. About to make her third slice, Kyra felt his cold hand grab hers suddenly. She jumped, swiveling, the knife still in her hand, now pointed at him. He threw his hands up, a flicker of fear passing through his icy blue eyes, "Put the knife down, psycho." A smirk had made its way onto his face now, realizing Kyra wasn't going to hurt him. She lowered the knife slowly, letting out a quiet chuckle, "You're cutting it wrong, watch." He reached his hand out, brushing it against hers as he took the knife, his eyes meeting hers and falling back down to the tail. Kyra watched in awe as he swiftly cut into the tail, efficiently dicing it into a hundred pieces. He used the knife to scrape the pieces into his hand and poured them into the cauldron, "Think you can do that to the scales?"

The rest of the potion went fairly smoothly, Malfoy doing the majority of the work, stopping every five minutes to critique Kyra and smirk stupidly at her. They were nearly done when they got down to the Jobberknoll feather. Reaching for it at the same time, Kyra drew her hand back, "I'd better do it. It can be complicated," He lightly poked her with the feather, "And we both know you can't handle complicated." Kyra shot him a look of faux-anger and he chuckled. Leaning over the cauldron, he slowly swirled the feather into the mixture, "Three time clockwise," He swirled it as he said, "Four times counterclockwise," He continued, "Hold it half way in for five seconds and then slowly lower it the rest of the way in. It should turn silvery if we did it correctly." Kyra held her breath as he held it up, whispering, "5…4…3…2…1," Then he slowly sunk the feather all the way in. They both sat in silence for several seconds, watching the mixture intently. Its color began to shift, the purple mixture fading, the tint of silver slowly rising to the surface. He threw his hands up, excitedly, "We did it!" Quickly adjusting his demeanor, he sat back down, glancing back and forth between her and the potion, "I mean, mostly I did it. But you were a great observer." His stupid smirk returned to his face.

"Oh, I was awesome and you know it," Kyra teased, "You couldn't have done it without me!" His eyebrows narrowed, doubtfully, scoffing. She spotted a pair of students across the classroom jumping backwards as a green slime climbed out of their cauldron, "Without me, you probably would have ended up like them." He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid." Malfoy uttered. Kyra beamed, grinning up at him from her seat. He shook his head, a genuine smile on his face. She noticed a small chip in one of his teeth; it was the only flaw in his near perfect smile. It took all her self control to look away from him. He really was attractive; his tousled white-blonde hair not slicked back like it was at Hogwarts. Kyra took in a sharp breath, mentally reprimanding herself for letting her thoughts wander.

Class ended shortly after, and Kyra gathered her things quickly, rushing out the door, not wanting to walk out with him. He couldn't joke around with her once and flash a cute smile to make her forget that he had threatened her. Kyra's heart was pounding in her chest as she practically jogged to her next class. She could feel her body getting warm, the tugging in her chest causing her to stop in an empty hallway. She bent over, taking deep breaths, the stale air of the school not aiding her. Kyra's eyes closed and she calmed herself down. Recognizing the fact that he was attractive wasn't a crime. And she was allowed to joke around, he was in her friend group, they needed to be comfortable with each other. Kyra kept repeating those thoughts to herself, the nagging in the pit of her stomach trying to convince her otherwise. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears as she inhaled deeply. Kyra allowed her body to slump briefly before pulling herself upright. Class was about to start and she'd be damned if she let Draco Malfoy interfere with her life. She had more control than this. She was going to go to class and do what she had to in order to forget about Draco Malfoy.


	7. Chapter 6

"Look, all I'm saying is muggle music has a tendency to be better than wizard music." Kyra rolled her eyes. Ellie was on another tangent about the advantages of the muggle world. She was consistently going on about the wonderful aspects of being a muggle. Personally, Kyra could see that the muggles had a few nice things but overall, she didn't see the appeal.

Madison sighed audibly, "Oh give it a rest Ellie. No one cares about muggle music." Her voice was bored; she was in the kitchen cooking a foul smelling soup. Kyra stifled a laugh, avoiding the daggers Ellie was shooting. Her thick brows were pushed down in anger. Hayden let out a loud giggle, setting off a chain of laughter.

Just as they began to settle, Malfoy walked through the door, he glanced at Kyra, a whisper of a smile on his face, but her face fell and she looked away. Kyra caught a glimpse of the bottle of fire whiskey in his hand, causing her to cock her head up. Clearly she'd not been the only one to notice, "Ooh you brought presents!" Hayden exclaimed, quickly rising to her feet, snatching the bottle from his hands. He blinked back, seemingly shocked by her sudden movements.

"The boys are headed over. Derek just got a letter from his mum. His parents are getting a divorce. Each of the boys have a bottle and they are planning on coming over and drinking until they can't see. Marcus wanted me to come warn you. He's a bit of a mess so don't ask questions, just drink." He quickly doled out shot glasses to each of them and grabbed the bottle back. Kyra watched, lips pursed, as he poured a bit of whiskey into each glass. Their eyes met briefly as she looked up. She bit her lip, tearing her eyes away again, tossing the shot back as soon as he finished pouring. Her stomach warmed up after a moment, the liquid burning her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Malfoy smirking. She looked up at him skeptically, but he simply turned his head.

The door burst open then, the stench of alcohol already thick in the air, emanating from the boys. Derek was floating across the room, crashing onto the couch, stretching both arms out and resting them around Hayden and Kyra, "Let's play kings, girls. Marcus, get the cards!" He was animated, practically shouting. It was obvious he was a few shots in.

Marcus took a seat on the ground on the other side of the table, spreading the cards in a circle on the table top. Eli waved his wand, upbeat music flowing from the tip. Marcus explained the rules, "Ace is waterfall, 2 is you, 3 is me, 4 is floor- last to point has to drink, 5 is guys, 6 is chicks, 7 is heaven- last to point up has to drink, 8 is mate- pick a person to drink every time you drink, 9 is rhyme- pick a word, the person next to you has to rhyme with it, the first person to not come up with a rhyme has to drink. 10 is categories- say I pick dogs, you have to name breeds of dog and the first person who doesn't come up with an answer has to drink. Jack is never have I ever, three fingers, and first person with all their fingers down has to drink. Queen is questions- everyone has to go around asking questions to the person beside them, first person to mess up has to drink. King is rules- you make a rule, such as every time you swear, you have drink. Everyone got it?" Everyone nodded and Kyra filled her glass up again.

Everyone settled in, "I'm first!" Derek shouted, pulling a card out and showing it off to the rest of the group, "10. I'm gonna saaaaaaay colors- red." He then looked to his right, to Hayden.

"Blue."

"Purple."

"Green."

"Yellow."

It was Marcus's turn, "Uh…um…" Everyone smirked and urged him to take a shot. He rolled his eyes, throwing it back, "Okay Hayden, your turn." She picked up a card and showed up it was a 7. They all pointed up, Malfoy realizing last and taking a shot. Eli went next, getting 8. He picked Kyra to drink with him so they each took their shots. She carefully ignored Ellie giggling.

Ellie picked up a card, showing off a 4. The group quickly pointed toward the ground, Derek moving too slow and very willingly tossing back a shot.

Madison pulled a card next, showing off a 2. Pointing at Marcus, she urged him to drink. His cheeks briefly flushed, contrasting his pale skin. He took the shot, keeping his eyes on her and pulled a card himself, pulling a king. He grinned, raising an eyebrow at Madison. Her eyes grew wide.

"Every time Derek swears, Madison has to drink." He declared pointedly, puffing out his chest. Madison hung her head, defeated and Derek shouted out a 'fuck' for effect, forcing Madison to drink. They all chuckled and Draco pulled a card.

By the time they had pulled half the cards, Kyra, along with everyone else was completely plastered. It was Madison's turn now and she pulled a queen. Turning to Marcus, she stumbled over her words, "How are you?" He turned to Malfoy then.

"What are you doing?" Marcus slurred out. Malfoy turned to Kyra. His cheeks were bright red, the evidence of his intoxication plainly written on his face.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kyra froze, her head spinning slightly. The rest of the group was laughing absentmindedly, prodding her to take the shot. She slowly raised the glass to her lips, her eyes glued to Malfoy. She watched him take a card, showing off a 2. His eyes lingered on her as he said her name. The room was quieting slightly as she filled her glass again, taking another shot.

Kyra picked up a card of her own. Rolling her eyes, she showed everyone the jack of spades. Everyone put up three fingers, waiting for someone to call out the first 'never have I ever'. Ellie was the first to speak, "Never have I ever had sex…" Kyra folded one of her fingers down, looking around the room; noticing most of them had fingers down. Derek and Ellie still had their finger up. Derek was smirking at Hayden, looking pointedly at her fingers. Kyra could feel Malfoy's eyes on her and she looked straight at him. Sober, she never would have had the confidence to return his gaze but the alcohol in her clouded her judgment. He quickly averted his eyes, as if to pretend he hadn't been staring- judging.

"Never have I ever had sex on the first date." Eli's voice piped in, interrupting Kyra's scattered train of thought. She lowered another finger, as did Hayden, Marcus, and Malfoy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Derek lightly jab a finger into Hayden's ribs. Kyra couldn't focus on them as Draco was watching her again, fixing his eyes on her fingers. She wanted him to stop looking at her. His gaze was making her vaguely uncomfortable and a bit angry. Before she could stop to think, she felt the words slipping out of her mouth.

"Never have I ever been arrested." Her expression was hard as she kept her eyes on Malfoy. He hesitantly lowered his last finger, shooting a quick, angry glance in her direction. If she'd been sober, she would have been terrified but she was quickly distracted by the giggles in the room.

"Oooooh. Draco! What'd you get arrested for?" Marcus was clearly amused. Malfoy looked calm, letting out a chuckle.

"Vandalism- bloody cops in London caught me spray painting the side of a building. Spent the night in prison but it wasn't so bad." Kyra tried hard to keep from scoffing. The lie came so easily, like second nature. The group urged him to take a shot, which he did, taking one last look at Kyra. She bit her lip, hoping she'd have to drink again soon, so as to ward off the fear that he would retaliate.

Derek pulled a card next, haphazardly waving a king around. He tossed his card in the air, his cheeks red from the alcohol. He kept his eyes glued to Hayden.

"I, as king, hereby rule that this game is dissolved and is to become a game of seven minutes in heaven!" The group groaned. "Hush! Your king has spoken!"

"Is this eighth grade, Derek? C'mon!" Ellie whined, huffing. He vehemently shook his head.

"We'll pick pairs with the bottle!" He declared.

"And where are we supposed to go?" Marcus questioned.

"Hayden's room!" Derek replied, waggling his eyebrows. Hayden rolled her eyes, but ultimately agreed. "Okay, Hayden, you first!" Hayden took one of the empty bottles of firewhiskey up and placed it on the table. She spun it around and landed on Madison. Derek's eyes darted around and he 'accidentally' bumped the bottle, forcing it to swing toward him."Oh! I guess it's me! The bottle has spoken!" He quickly got up and dragged her with him toward her room, shutting the door behind them.

Ellie giggled, placing a silencing charm over the door. Marcus set himself in charge of the clock and the group spread out a bit, waiting for time to pass. Kyra ended up sitting next to Eli, stretched out across the couch, her legs over his lap.

"So what's the deal with you and Draco?" His voice was easy going and he looked at her with half a smile. She raised an eyebrow, looking confused, "I mean I know you went to school together but there's some real weird tension there. Did you guys hook up or something back at Hogwarts?" She let out a loud laugh, tossing her head back.

"Not a chance. Malfoy had probably never even seen me before I got here. And there's not a chance in hell I would've slept with him." Kyra was slurring her words and barely acknowledging the intrigued looks Eli was giving her.

"So you didn't like him?" She shook her head laughing. Before she could respond, Malfoy had joined them on the couch. He was sitting closer to Kyra than she wanted and she was doing her best to shoot him an intimidating angry face. However, in her state, she ended up looking pouty; not that he noticed.

"Did I hear my name?" He was leaning into her, seemingly as drunk as she was.

"Yeah Kyra was just telling me how much she hated you at Hogwarts." Eli was chuckling, looking back between the two of them. Malfoy stuck his lip out in a pout.

"Awww don't say things like that darling. I know you love me!" Kyra scrunched up her face in protest and he laughed, lazily throwing his arm around her. Eli said something, which she hadn't heard, as she was attempting to bite one of the fingers that were dangling near her face. He slid his arm off of her, "Hey now, don't bite." Kyra huffed, demanding he go away. Raising an eyebrow at her, he did as she said, wandering back to another couch.

"You're cute when you're drunk." Eli mentioned breezily. Kyra giggled, about to reply when Marcus shouted for Derek and Hayden to come out. After a moment, they stumbled out, Hayden's long chestnut hair matted up the side and a sloppy grin glued to Derek's face.

They settled into their seats and beckoned everyone back. Settling in, Kyra was now beside Hayden, forcing her to spin next. She watched dizzily as the bottle spun round and round, silently hoping it would land on Eli. Her heart dropped as it landed on Draco. Just her luck.She begrudgingly stood and followed him into her room, ignoring the whoops behind them.

As the door shut behind her, she looked up to see Malfoy peering down at her, "So what the fuck did you think you were doing in that game exactly? Why would you call me out on being arrested? I thought we had an understanding." His voice was harsh and mildly shocking compared to the way he'd been just minutes before. Kyra bit her lip, scared to reply. His pale blue eyes were drilling holes into her. She averted her eyes, hoping he might back down if she ignored him. He placed a firm hand on her chin, pulling her face up to look at him. Slapping his hand away hard, she woozily stood to walk backwards. His hand grabbed her wrist, directing her to her bed, where she fell down, too drunk to protest further, "I'm not fucking around here, Hardings," Her name sounded strange on his tongue, "You can't say anything to them about me." His voice had softened slightly but she was still frightened. She stayed silent, afraid of saying something that would set him off. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know you were drunk and probably didn't know what you were saying but you can't slip like that. It's very important that you not tell anyone" Kyra nodded. She sighed but the alcohol burning in her stomach urged words from her mouth.

"I don't understand how you can go from threatening me to acting like this. Just when I'll start to think you aren't a piece of shit, you start pulling this again." He studied her hard for a minute, contemplating what to say next.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to...do...friends." He hesitated on his words, seemingly unsure he wanted to tell her that. Alcohol was seemingly still affecting him as well. "At Hogwarts, I didn't have...friends. You know? I had followers." Kyra rolled her eyes. "No, i'm serious. I've never had to worry about the way I came off. I'm working on it. I know it may not seem like it, but I really do want to make this work." Her lips pursed together, contemplating his words. "Whether or not you like it, I'm in your life now. It's best for both of us if we can be friends." Kyra scoffed, feeling bold. "You may not like me, but truthfully, I like you." She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Don't let it go to your head, but I think you have some redeeming qualities." A few breathy laughs passed Kyra's lipped without permission.

"You know, if i'm being honest as well,"

"Well, I think with the level of shots in you right now, honestly was really the only option." Kyra scrunched her face, laughing again and waving her hand at him.

"As I was saying!" She spoke louder than necessary. Draco held up his hands in defeat. "When you aren't being a complete and total prat, I suppose you have a redeeming quality or two as well." He gasped, putting a hand to his chest.

"You love me! I'm telling everyone! You're positively smitten!" He jeered. She threw a pillow at him, which he snagged out of the air, whacking it across her head. She pulled up another pillow, standing up and quickly stumbling, forgetting just how intoxicated she was.

Before she had a chance to hit him again, Marcus called out from behind the door that it was time to come out and Kyra bounded from the room, shooting a grin at him before she left.


	8. Chapter 7

Kyra kicked her feet up, placing them on the coffee table, absentmindedly petting their new cat, who had climbed up onto her lap. Next to her, half the group was babbling on about trying out for the university’s quidditch team. Eli, Malfoy, and Hayden were planning on trying out for the team today and had not stopped talking about it since they heard about try outs. Eli was hoping to be a Keeper, Hayden a Chaser, and Malfoy wanted to be Seeker. Apparently, Derek used to play but felt like his chances of making the team were slim so he didn’t bother.  
“You’ve really never played, Kyra?” Eli’s voice snapped her back into the present. She gave her head a slight shake and looked around at the expectant faces of the group.  
“No, I have a terrible fear of heights. My parents taught me to fly when I was young but I always hated it,” Malfoy was snickering a few feet away, “Have you got something to say, Malfoy?” He raised an eyebrow at her, the hint of a smirk on his face.  
“Just don’t see you as the type to be scared of something as stupid as heights.” She cocked her head to the side, her lips pursed. There were a series of ‘oohs’ echoing around the room.   
Kyra began to open her mouth but was cut off by Hayden, “Come on guys, we have to get down to try outs. I’m not about to miss this!” Rolling her eyes, Kyra carefully ushered the cat off her lap, standing. She shot a playfully angry look at Malfoy, who had clearly moved on from the conversation. He, along with Hayden and Eli, were dressed for quidditch and picked up their brooms before they filed out the door.  
Personally, Kyra found quidditch horribly boring. Watching everyone fly across the field gave her anxiety, as she was constantly afraid they would fall and hurt themselves. The only thing that eased her worrying was ignoring the game and distracting herself. At Hogwarts, it had been fairly easy as her friends didn’t care for it either; however, here it seemed that everyone loved it. Try outs weren’t terrible because no one was particularly hostile. It seemed that the likelihood of ignoring it was slim either way as Derek continued a commentary all throughout. It seemed as though everyone trying out was fairly skilled, especially Hayden, who was zipping across the field at top speeds. Her reflexes were incredible and Kyra had trouble keeping up with her.   
At the end of try outs, the captains made their decisions quickly, informing Hayden and Malfoy that they had made the team. Even from the stands, Eli’s disappointment was visible, despite his efforts to seem supportive of the other two. The rest of the group scrambled down the stairs, crowding around their friends, congratulating Hayden and Malfoy, and offering sympathies to Eli.   
They grabbed their brooms, about to head back to the dorm when a small, black owl swooped down, dropping an envelope into Malfoy’s hand. He visibly froze, the smile now miles from his face. The rest of the group had already started back so they didn’t notice as Malfoy wandered in another direction.  
Kyra stood, paralyzed, unsure if she should follow him or just head back to the dorm. Her breathing was heavy as her thoughts ran quickly. She’d never seen him so upset. Pangs of guilt hit her hard as she contemplated ignoring him. He didn’t deserve her sympathy but she couldn’t let him be alone if something was wrong.  
Sighing deeply, she followed at a small distance, carefully watching how loudly she stepped. His footsteps echoed through the corridor as he wove through halls she hadn’t seen before. Her breathing was shallow as she attempted to keep him in her line of vision; he was moving quickly, his long legs taking huge strides. She stopped, concealing herself behind a wall as he came to a door. He pushed hard, swinging the door open, revealing the purple streaked sky. Kyra watched him descend the steps, sneaking out behind him once he was a safe distance away. He rounded a corner, the mouth of the lake opening up, reflecting the sunset among the ripples.  
Kyra eyed him carefully as he sat down, clutching the envelope in his hands. He held it to his forehead, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. They glistened as he opened them and he tore open the envelope. Kyra watched as he read through the slightly tinged paper. He bit his lip, and folded it back up, burying his hands in his face. It was difficult to make out his emotion from the angle she had. Leaning forward, she attempted to get a better look at him but stumbled, falling forward onto the ground.  
Malfoy’s head snapped up, rage clear in his eyes. Fear shone through her and she trembled; he was terrifying. As he spotted her, his gaze softened, letting out a deep sigh, “What are you doing here? Did you follow me?” His voice was quiet and calm, which was unexpected. Kyra stared up at him, attempting to stammer out an answer.  
“Yeah.” Her voice was hardly above a whisper. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he stared back at her. Despite how awkward she felt, there was a true lack of tension in the air. She was surprised it wasn’t more uncomfortable. Still, she was wishing she hadn’t come, but there was no turning back now.  
“Why?” The curiosity rang through in a way Kyra couldn’t understand. His face was hard to read as his eyes peered intently at her. Glancing at the ground, she attempted to form an adequate response. Why did she follow him? She suddenly was entirely unsure. Was it purely out of curiosity or was it about helping him? The words slipped out of my mouth before she had consciously made up her mind.  
“I wanted to be sure you were okay,” He was clearly taken aback by her statement, his eyes darting around uncomfortably, “I saw how upset you looked when you got the letter, I didn’t think you should be alone,” The words were coming out of her mouth without thought or permission. He was quiet, contemplative, so she spoke again, “Are…are you okay?” His head shot up and she kept her gaze fixed on his icy blue eyes.  
“No yeah, I’m okay,” Kyra shot him a skeptical look, his face desperate, “Why do you care though? I thought you didn’t help ‘murderers’” She gulped, remembering her words, “I’m not by the way,” Furrowing her brow, Kyra blinked back in confusion, “A murderer. I never killed anyone; I couldn’t.” She closed her eyes, guilt swelling in her gut.  
“I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed that since you were a…” She trailed off; her eyes flickering to his arm, where she knew the mark stained his skin.  
“You never answered my question though. Why do you care if I’m upset? Why would you follow me or want to make sure I’m okay.” She still wasn’t entirely sure why she’d followed him. His eyes were nearly boring a hole into her. Her gaze traveled down and she attempted to regain control of her breathing which, admittedly, had quickened rather drastically.  
“It just seemed like the right thing to do. I made a snap decision and this seemed like the right choice,” Malfoy was studying her now, his head tilted slightly. Kyra did everything she could to not look at his vaguely pursed lips, “What was the letter about?” In her attempt to draw the attention away from herself, she appeared to have struck a nerve. He visible folded in a bit, his curiosity quickly turning into an indiscernible emotion. There was a darkness creeping into his eyes that she ignored.  
“Nothing you want to know about,” Her interest was piqued as she glanced up at him. He was so hard to read; his face hardly ever gave anything away, “Just a letter I’d been expected for a long time,” His voice was dull, clearly hoping she’d back down but her silence prodded him on, “There are a lot of people who are angry with me. The trials were bad. I had to give a lot of names and now a lot of people are really angry. That’s why I went so far away; I needed to get as far from these people as I could. I wasn’t safe there. But now it seems as if I might not be safe here.” Kyra was quiet for a few moments, allowing his words to sink in. He was in danger.   
“So was the letter a threat?” The words were catching in her throat. This was a lot to digest. She attempted to stay focused on the conversation but her mind kept wandering to the idea of what could happen.  
“No, it was my mother. But she was informing me that she heard someone had discovered I was in America. It’s just the first step in everything unraveling. I knew it would happen but I was hoping it wouldn’t happen for a long time. If I’d known it would happen so soon, I never would have become friends with people here. I have a terrible feeling this could be dangerous for all of you. I never wanted anyone else to get hurt.” He continued talking but Kyra couldn’t hear him as panic filled her. She began to understand the gravity of what he was saying. This could be the Battle of Hogwarts all over again. Her breathing quickened and she felt her eyes vaguely glaze over as the image of Chelsea dying replayed in her head. Her chest was tightening and she clumsily gripped the ground around her. She could feel her head spinning so she attempted to calm herself down, hoping it wouldn’t be noticeable. Over the years, she’d gotten better at holding panic attacks at bay.   
After thirty seconds of controlled breathing, Kyra glanced up to see Malfoy’s eyes filled with concern as he watched her. Heat rushed to her cheeks, embarrassed he had seen her like that. Only three people had seen her like that before and she hated when it happened, “I’m sorry. I just…” He cut her off, his voice soft.  
“Don’t apologize. I used to get panic attacks a lot. I’m sorry for upsetting you; I shouldn’t have said anything.” Kyra slumped, exhaling sharply. He was clearly not accustomed to telling people anything. His eyes were trained on the lake, watching the skies reflection change slowly from pink to purple to black.  
“I’m glad you told me,” Kyra muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair, stress eating away at him. She wasn’t ready to forgive him for what happened. She knew, realistically, that he was not responsible and staying angry with him was foolish but he was the only one around to be angry with. He was the closest thing to Lucius that she could project her rage onto. She couldn’t be angry with him now though. Seeing him upset was, for whatever reason, devastating to her. Kyra looked hard at him. His gaze was fixed at a point across the lake, though it was clear he was hardly seeing it. The blonde mop of hair on his head was terribly messy and his jaw was tight. She ran her hands roughly toward the back of her neck, realizing what she needed to do. Standing up, she steadied herself for a moment before walking closer to him. She sat directly beside him, gently nudging his shoulder, “Talk to me, I’m the only one you can tell these things to and I promise, It’ll make you feel better.” They sat in silence for a minute, looking out at the lake, watching the sun set.   
As the final streaks of color left the sky, Kyra laid back onto the grass, placing her hands under her hands. Malfoy followed suit, keeping his eyes up at the sky, “I never wanted this, Kyra. But I’m stuck with this mark forever to remind me of everything I was forced into. I can never really escape it. I could move to Mars but I can’t erase the fact that I was a deatheater,” The word was acid on his tongue, the venom he felt audible, “Sometimes I think I might never live a normal life all because of what my father chose so many years ago. I just want to move on. I want to go to sleep at night without having nightmares about watching someone die. I’m too young to have seen so many people die,” His voice was cracking, “I’ll never get that innocence back. Everyone I grew up with is a murderer. So many people are dead because of us,” Kyra could feel a pit in her stomach but attempted to push it back, “Sometimes I wish they’d have just found me guilty. Instead, I have to live in fear of being killed and I can’t sleep because of the guilt.” He still wasn’t looking at her, staring straight up.   
Kyra didn’t know how to respond, the words getting caught in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him it was alright when she wouldn’t forgive him herself, “You aren’t a terrible person though,” That was true. He was misled and made a few poor choices but he wasn’t evil, “I don’t exactly know why you did what you did but it clearly wasn’t because you agreed with those people,” He turned his head to the side, locking eyes with her, “Look, a lot of bad things happened back then. Bad things happen and people make mistakes. Someday things will be better though. It hasn’t even been a year yet; you can’t expect things to go back to normal that quickly. I still have nightmares but I have to believe that someday I’ll move on and live a normal life,” She attempted to keep her voice even. She hadn’t wanted to talk about her life; he didn’t need to know anything else about her. She quickly reverted back to him, “You made it out alive and that means something. You have a chance to turn your life around and maybe make up for all the things that happened. If you give up, you will never get that chance. You need to live for the kids that won’t get the chance to. You need to live because you can, don’t take that for granted.” She bit her lip; her words felt a bit harsh but she held strong.   
Malfoy was silent for a while, turning back toward the sky. The stars were becoming clearer now, twinkling above them, “What are your nightmares like?” His voice was breezy, as if he was asking about the weather. She didn’t answer, desperately hoping he would drop it. He turned onto his side now, facing her, “Kyra?”  
“Lifelike,” The word dragged out of her lips, slow and heavy, hanging in the air, “It’s as if I’m reliving the battle every time. Half the time, I wake up screaming.” She turned on her side, looking at him head on. His eyes were searching her face for emotion. She was certain he could read her plainly; she’d never been good at hiding her emotions.  
“I’m sorry,” She fixed her eyes at a point behind him. She couldn’t speak anymore, her emotions were jumbled and it was impossible to sort them with his eyes on her, “For everything. I’m sorry about your nightmares and I’m sorry for threatening you. I’m sorry for getting mixed up with you now; I’m sure seeing me doesn’t make it easy to move on from what happened.” His voice was sincere, drenched with regret and pain.  
“You don’t need to apologize. My nightmares aren’t your fault,” Kyra knew this was partially a lie, she’d had nightmares about him now that he was around, “And you didn’t know I’d be in this group, there was nothing you could have done.” She wasn’t quite prepared to forgive him for threatening her.   
He was incredibly close to her, their faces only a foot apart. Her breathing was shallow as his hand brushed hers as he went to run it through his hair. She sat up, positioning herself to be further from his face. He drew up beside her, adjusting his shirt, “We should probably get back,” she nodded quickly, thankful for an excuse to get away from him, “Thank you for following me.” His voice was cautious but sincere. Kyra smiled meekly, giving a small nod.   
“That’s what,” she paused briefly, unsure of her words, “friends are for.” He grinned lazily and stood, offering her a hand. She grasped it and he helped pull her up. They started back to the dorm, a bit of awkwardness hanging between them.  
“So friends, hmm?” He had a cheeky grin plastered to his face, “I thought you couldn’t be friends with me.” His demeanor had flipped so abruptly Kyra was slightly taken aback. She played along, rolling her eyes and smirking.  
“Well you’re on the Quidditch team now. I’ve got to get in with the cool kids.” He let out a hardy chuckle, “Congratulations, by the way.”   
“Oh, why thank you. I’d nearly forgotten I made the team.” They talked lightly back to the dorm, where they slipped in quietly, as to not draw attention to themselves.  
Kyra avoided him for the remainder of the night; she needed time to sort through her thoughts. Everyone finally left around three in the morning and she thankfully slipped into bed. Her head was reeling, a million thoughts floating around. Could she be friends with Draco Malfoy? The idea seemed so foreign. Even before the battle, before losing Chelsea at his father’s hands, before he threatened her, the idea would have been absurd. He may not have murdered anyone but he had been a deatheater. He had been raised with deatheaters. How could someone like that possibly turn out to be a good person? She closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep with thoughts of him filling her brain. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.


	9. Chapter 8

“Honestly, it’s not that difficult to remember, Kyra.” She could hear Madison’s patience waning as she recited her rhyme about the war of 1652. Kyra had never had trouble in history of magic until this year. This was primarily due to the fact that she’d grown up with the knowledge of basic wizarding history; however, this year was far more detailed. As it turned out, she was terrible with dates and names and essentially anything else you would need to succeed in that class. Kyra huffed and silently recited the words to herself, scribbling them down on a piece of parchment.  
“Can we take a break?” Kyra asked in a half-whine. They had been studying for two hours now and she was sure her brain couldn’t process any more details about Commander Bovril or the giants that crushed him. Madison let out a breathy laugh and nodded, flipping the book closed and propping her feet up on the table. Kyra tousled her hair briefly, “We should go out tonight. Make something of this weekend.” Maddie visibly perked up, her eyebrow raised slightly.  
“Like where?” Kyra’s mouth twisted up and she brainstormed briefly, wracking her brain for ideas. They hadn’t really explored outside the castle so she had no idea what was around them. She glanced around the room, hoping someone would suggest something, anything.  
“I heard someone in my arithmancy class mention something about an area just off school grounds. There were some shops and cafes and bars, kinda like Hogsmeade.” Malfoy’s voice rang out. Kyra picked at a string on her shorts. It had been a few days since she’d spoken to him and she was still unable to make eye contact with him. There were a few murmurs of agreement so she nodded and forced herself to glance in his direction.  
“Sounds perfect. Do we wanna get ready and head out in about 30 minutes?” Malfoy offered half a smile when their eyes met but Kyra quickly looked away, searching for responses in everyone else. They all seemed to agree so the boys left rather quickly and she headed into her room, searching out an outfit to wear.  
She finally decided on a white crop top with her black ripped shorts. She donned a pair of semi sheer black tights underneath and straightened her hair, her dark crimson bangs falling across her face. Applying a layer of winged eyeliner, she moved on to pick out a shade of lipstick that nearly matched her hair. She smiled weakly in the mirror, adjusting her shirt and turning to step back into the living room where Hayden was seated on the couch.  
Kyra flopped down beside her, relaxing her body. Hayden turned to her with a smirk evident on her face, “So what’s the deal with you and Draco?” This question was quickly growing old. Kyra shrugged, breathing a laugh, hoping she would drop it, “Oh come on, we’re roommates. You can tell me! It’s pretty obvious that you’ve got a little crush.” Kyra’s cheeks quickly flushed with color and she scrunched up her features into a sour face.  
“Not a chance!” Hayden seemed vaguely startled by the tenacity of her response, “Draco and I are…friends,” It sounded foreign on her tongue but they had agreed to be friends so it wasn’t a lie. It was, however, a sentence she never would have imagined herself saying. She could picture the reaction Chelsea would have had to hearing her tell her she was friends with Draco Malfoy. Her dimples evident and her full cheeks full of color, she would have tossed her head back and let out a hearty chuckle. She was such a lively person; words could never fully capture the effect she had on people. Her ability to make others laugh no matter the situation and the way she seemed to breathe life into any situation; she was truly one of a kind.  
“I don’t know, Kyra. I’ve seen how nervous he makes you!” If only she knew, Kyra thought cynically, “But I mean he’s clearly into you; I think you should go for it!” She raised an eyebrow and gently nudged Kyra’s shoulder. She could feel her eyes widen slightly despite her efforts to appear unphased. Kyra shook her head vehemently, to which Hayden simply chuckled, “No it’s true! He definitely has a thing for you. Half the time I look at him, he’s looking at you.” That couldn’t be true. Even if it was, it didn’t mean anything. There were plenty of reasons for him to look at her, just like there were plenty of reasons for her to be nervous around him. Neither of those meant that they had any sort of feelings for each other.  
“I’m sure that’s not true! I definitely don’t like him and I’m sure he doesn’t like me. I’m so not his type. I mean sure he’s attractive and funny and stuff but he’s just a friend.” Hayden’s lips curled into a smirk and she raised an eyebrow suspiciously but the boys soon burst through the door, effectively ending the conversation. Kyra let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t like Malfoy; that was absurd. She was hardly tolerating him.  
They headed out shortly after the boys arrived, Malfoy leading the way to the area he had told them about. Kyra walked beside Eli, who was emphatically explaining his desire to visit a muggle circus. Kyra listened patiently as he painted a picture of the scene. Truthfully, it sounded dreadful and she couldn’t imagine the appeal but she humored him.  
Malfoy stepped out the front gate, quickly scanning the scene. There were cobbled roads leading away from the school, the forest surrounding all else. He cocked his head to the side, instructing everyone to follow him to the left, which they did. The sun was beginning to fall beyond the trees so Kyra was hopeful that it wouldn’t be much further. They’d not been warned about the forests here but memories of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts ensured a deep desire to steer clear. Luckily, they only walked another five minutes or so before arriving at the plaza. It was brightly illuminated, streetlights lining the edges. The crowds of students were scarce, the occasional group spotted in the café or shop. Ellie urged their group toward the campy looking bar, which they begrudgingly agreed to go to.   
The bar was filled with students, bustling with noise and with the overwhelming stench of butterbeer. They quickly identified a booth and filled in. Very soon after, Derek and Ellie disappeared to retrieve drinks for everyone. They chatted amongst themselves while drinking, admittedly, more than they should have.  
Across the bar, Kyra met eyes with a boy. His disheveled brown hair falling in his face, he glanced up at her with a smile. She excused herself from the table, wobbling slightly as she made her way over to him. He introduced himself as Jonathan, slightly slurring his words. Kyra could feel her inhibitions slipping as they talked more.  
“This is my second year here,” He explained, “I’m hoping to be a journalist. What about you pretty lady?” Kyra giggled at his compliment, heat rising to her cheeks.  
“I think I want to be an auror but who knows?” Her words fell over themselves as she leaned against him, “Right now I’m just trying to have fun.” She dragged out the word and smirked up at him. She was vaguely aware of his hand grazing her ass.   
“Let’s go have fun then baby.” A cheeky smile crossed his face as he yanked at her arm, pulling her toward the bathroom. Kyra was suddenly blatantly aware of the situation and began to pull her arm back but his grip only tightened. He pushed her roughly against the wall of the bathroom, despite her thrashing against him. His mouth crashed sloppily against hers and he forced his tongue into her mouth, his hands sliding down her body. She shoved as hard as she could but his drunken frame was leaning hard against her, pinning her to the wall. His hand slid back down to her ass, squeezing tightly. As his hand moved away from her ass, it quickly disappeared down her shorts. Kyra thrashed wildly against him, desperately trying to force him off of her to no avail.  
Steps were soon echoing off the tiles of the bathroom floor. Kyra tried her best to scream out but it was muffled by his mouth. Suddenly, the pressure of his body was lifted off her and a crack reverberated around the dingy, cracked walls of the bathroom. She looked around in panic, spotting Malfoy, who was now on top of Jonathan, his fist repeatedly smashing across his face, blood beginning to flow from his nose. Kyra remained frozen to the wall in fear; she’d seen him angry but nothing like this, he was truly terrifying. He stopped suddenly, a moment of clarity passing over him as he jumped to his feet. Kyra relaxed slightly, still paralyzed with fear. Anger was still pulsing through him visibly and he pulled out his wand, which shocked her into movement.  
“Cruc-“ Kyra sprung forward, reaching for his arm but he angrily pushed her off of him, “Crucio!” He finished the curse, causing Jonathan to spasm on the floor, his screams echoing around the room. Malfoy quickly pointed his wand at the air around them, “Insulato.” He mumbled, causing a bubble to form around them, muting the noises of the bar.  
“Malfoy stop!” Kyra shrieked, pulling at his arm again. This time he glanced over at her, spotting her horrified expression. Fear was coursing through her body steadily, anxiety overtaking her. She couldn’t believe he was using an unforgivable curse; she knew he was a deatheater but she had really begun to hope he wasn’t like that. His eyes widened as he examined the scene around them. With another wave of his wand, Jonathan’s body stopped spasming and he was gasping for air, gripping the ground around him. Malfoy never took his eyes off Kyra, clearly distraught by his own actions but more concerned about her reaction.  
“Kyra…” He started, cautiously, but she ran, fear flooding her brain. Her skin was pulsing, the alcohol still swimming in her veins. She ran out the doors of the bar, realizing now how late it was, the sky completely dark, light only touching the spots under the streetlamps. The other shops were shrouded in darkness, evidently closed. Her legs were numb as she ran further through the plaza, unsure where she was headed.   
She stopped, her hands on her knees, breathing heavy. Turning to the side, she heaved, throwing up. Her body felt weak as she stumbled further along the cobbled roads of the plaza, collapsing on a hill between streetlamps. She held her face in her hands, doubled over. Her head was spinning, her thoughts swirling. She could hardly focus on her surroundings as she tried to digest everything that just happened. She was suddenly feeling nauseous again.  
Hearing footsteps, her head snapped up, spotting the glowing light down the road drawing closer. Panic filled her, but her body felt too weak to move. She clenched her eyes shut, hoping they would simply leave.  
As the light floated closer, she could see Malfoy’s face illuminated in the light of his wand. He appeared to spot her at the same time, visibly relaxing. She sighed deeply; she really didn’t want to see him now. She needed time to process; it wasn’t as if she thought he would hurt her but the sight of him using the cruciatus curse had chilled her to the bone. It was as if he truly was the person she had originally imagined him to be.  
“Kyra! Thank Merlin,” He exclaimed, settling in beside her, resting his wand on the ground between them, the glow casting shadows around them. Kyra kept her head down, unable to meet his gaze, “I’m sorry you had to see that. I know you already had your reservations about me and I’m sure this didn’t help but I promise you I never intended for this to happen,” She remained silent, unsure her voice would even work if she opened her mouth, “I just…when I saw him on you…and saw what he was going to do I just…I lost it. I was scared for you and angry. It made me so angry. I ripped him off and couldn’t stop punching. I was seeing red and couldn’t control myself anymore. I didn’t even know what I was doing. Before I knew it, my wand was out and…” His voice trailed off and Kyra winced, remembering what happened in vivid detail, “I’m sorry Kyra,” He mumbled again, his voice low, “I just wanted to help but couldn’t stop once I started.” He was barely audible now. Kyra glanced up, his head was hung, a frown etched onto his face.  
“Thank you,” She squeaked. She wasn’t sure he had even heard her but his head raised slowly, his eyes connecting with hers, “For getting him off of me,” she continued slowly, “If you hadn’t been there, he might have…” she couldn’t finish the thought, nausea rising in her throat again. They sat in silence for several minutes, unsure what to say, “What did you do to him?” She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer.   
“Just a memory charm. I cleared the blood off his face and sent him out of the bathroom. He probably has a broken nose and hurts like hell but he doesn’t remember what I did to him,” She sighed in relief, he was alive. Secretly, she was pleased that he would still hurt. He deserved to be in pain for what he did; he didn’t deserve the cruciatus curse but he did deserve to hurt, “I’m so sorry, Kyra. I’m sorry for what he did to you and I’m sorry for losing it. I couldn’t let him get away with hurting you though.” He wouldn’t break eye contact with her.  
“Careful Malfoy. Looks like you’re going soft.” Kyra did her best to force a small laugh. She couldn’t think about what happened anymore, not with him staring at her. He skeptically raised an eyebrow, seemingly judging whether or not she was actually joking.  
“No chance!” He stated matter-of-factly. She stifled a giggle.  
“Oh I think you are. You’re a big ole’ softy.” His eyebrows narrowed, his mouth twisted up into a smirk.  
“Watch it, punk,” He threatened jokingly. Kyra rolled her eyes, sighing. His eyes were still glued to her, watching her expressions carefully. Despite her attempts to feel better by joking around, she was still shaking. Though she hoped he didn’t notice, she knew he did, “I really am sorry.” His tone was soft and cautious. She met his eyes, biting her lip. He seemed so sincere but only five minutes before he was torturing someone. Regardless of his reasoning, he made it clear that the darkness in him was real.  
“Can we not talk about it anymore?” The words came out sharper than she had intended and saw him visibly shrink back. She wasn’t accustomed to such a reaction from him, “I just need to calm down for a bit,” She bit her lip, looking past him. He nodded and stood to leave but turned, vague surprise painting his face as she grasped his arm, “Stay?” She couldn’t be alone now; she didn’t want him to talk about it but she didn’t want to be left alone. He studied her briefly before nodding and folding down beside her again.  
They sat in comfortable silence for a while before he started quietly, “Kyra?” she perked her head up, meeting his pale eyes, “Why are you bothering to give me a chance?” she sucked in a breath, contemplating his question. She wasn’t entirely sure.  
She thought hard for several minutes, there were a few reasons but none she felt comfortable voicing aloud, “I don’t know.” She mumbled after several uncomfortable moments, her eyes shifting to the ground. She could feel his eyes on her, clearly expecting her to continue. Glancing up, she was overwhelmed with guilt. Malfoy’s face was wracked with an emotion she couldn’t quite identify, “I guess…” she hadn’t wanted to admit it, “Maybe I need someone that knew what the battle was like just as badly as you do.” she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. Malfoy seemed taken aback by her answer.   
The cold night air was biting at her skin, Goosebumps rising along her arms. She shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself, rubbing her hands along her arms in an attempt to warm herself. Malfoy reached his arm out, wrapping it around her, pulling her against his side. She jumped at his touch, her body going rigid. She relaxed soon, sinking into his body. They sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes before she looked up at him, her heart beating out of her chest. Their eyes met and she could feel his face leaning closer to her, keeping his eyes locked with hers. The breath stopped in her throat. He paused, his face only centimeters from her own, his warm breath brushing against her skin. As he moved in further, she turned her head out of the way.  
He abruptly sat up straight, causing Kyra to move away from him. Glancing at her embarrassed, he mumbled a quick apology, “Sorry I don’t know what I was thinking.” She watched him intently as he stood and walked back toward the bar. After a few minutes of allowing her breathing to regulate, she made her way back to the dorm. She needed to sleep and think about what happened tonight and what it meant.   
She kept a tight grip on her wand the entire way back to the dorm, carefully examining her surroundings as she went. As she entered the room, she took little time in retreating to her bed, her head swimming. So much had happened tonight and she was horribly overwhelmed. She stared out the window, watching as the sealife swam by. She could hardly focus, however, as the memories of the evening clouded her head.   
Suddenly, Hayden’s voice filled her head. Maybe she was right; maybe Kyra did have a small crush on Malfoy. NO I can’t have feelings for him, she thought. I saw what he did tonight; he’s dangerous.  
As she drifted to sleep, her subconscious mind wandered into thoughts of him. While she wouldn’t allow herself to think it; tonight had changed everything.


	10. Chapter 9

The familiar blue tinted sunlight streamed in the window, immediately aggravating Kyra’s eyes. Despite the lake obstructing the view, the window still let in a fair amount of light and mornings could be quite bright. Unfortunately, last night’s events and numerous drinks were wreaking havoc on her head. She squinted, clumsily moving her arm over her eyes to block out the light.  
Across the room, she could hear Hayden stirring, a groan escaping her lips as she rolled over in bed, clearly experiencing the same feeling Kyra was. Sighing deeply, she swung her legs over the side of her bed, forcing herself to stand. Her head spun wildly when she got to her feet but she dragged herself out of the room, only to see the boys in the common room. Malfoy, Eli, and Derek were passed out on the couches, their bodies slung over the edges. Marcus was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, a cup of tea gripped tightly in his hands.  
“Where’d you disappear to last night?” His voice was hushed. Leaning against the counter beside him, Kyra shrugged, sheepishly forcing an excuse about getting tired. He appeared skeptical but brushed it off, “I wish someone would wake up already, our hangover potion is in the room but I can’t seem to find my wand so I can’t get in.” Kyra chuckled quietly, shaking her head. There was a small rustling as Malfoy turned over, his eyes fluttering open. Marcus was soon rushing over to him.  
“What the fuck?” Malfoy mumbled as he noticed Marcus coming at him.  
“You’ve got your wand, right?” Marcus’ voice was desperate. Malfoy nodded, gripping around him and finally pulling out his wand. He stifled a groan and rose to his feet, following Marcus out of the room. Kyra stumbled over; slumping into the couch Malfoy had just been on. Rubbing her fingers on her pulsing temples, she let out a quiet sigh. She glanced around the room. Eli and Derek were outstretched, their long bodies hanging off the edges of the furniture.  
The boys quickly returned, a few vials of a hangover potion Malfoy had brewed in their hands. Marcus tossed one to Kyra, which she quickly downed, the thick blue substance sliding down her throat. The nausea quickly dissipated, the headache following soon after. Marcus visibly relaxed seconds after downing the contents of his vial. Malfoy glanced at Kyra, smiling warmly. Confusion graced her face but she quickly regained her composure, shooting him an equally friendly look.  
“Get a bit sloppy last night, Harding?” Malfoy smirked, surprising her with his use of her last name. She blinked and tilted her head slightly.  
She didn’t have a chance to reply as Maddie and Ellie emerged from their room, Ellie clutching her head. Marcus tossed them each a vile, which they happily accepted. Settling in beside Kyra, Malfoy leaned over, whispering in my ear.  
“During lunch, excuse yourself and I’ll meet you in the hallway. I need to talk to you.” His face didn’t give away anything as he quickly reverted back to offering witty responses to everyone’s stories from the previous night.  
___  
“I’ll be back in a few,” Kyra excused herself from the long mahogany table of the cafeteria. Coolly striding out into the hallway, she continued a few feet before ducking into a staircase, waiting for Malfoy to find her.  
Nearly five minutes later, she could hear the echo of his footsteps on the stone tiled floor drawing nearer to her. She stepped back into the hallway, causing him to stop abruptly as not to crash into her.  
“You should really watch where you’re walking, Malfoy.” She mirrored the smirk he had given her earlier. He rolled his eyes, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her into a nearby classroom where he shut the door behind them.  
“Are you okay? I figured you wouldn’t want to talk about what happened last night in front of everyone so I wanted to talk privately.” She was certainly not okay. Between the boy in the bar, watching Malfoy hurt him, and…whatever happened between them at the end of the night, she was struggling to hold herself together, “How are you feeling?”  
“I’m peachy,” She stated convincingly, “Don’t get all mushy on me.” She didn’t need a repeat of last night and she was hoping that if she could avoid talking about it, he would return to the same arrogant, snarky boy from Hogwarts. That would make it easier to avoid developing feelings for him. The thought swirled around her subconscious but was quickly silenced.  
A flash of emotion crossed his face, disappearing in an instant, “Not likely, doll. Just here to save the day.” He winked, sufficiently assuring her that her plan had worked. She scrunched up her nose distastefully, rolling her eyes as she brushed past him out of the classroom.  
Returning to the table, Kyra sat down, quickly involving herself in Hayden’s discussion about the best flavor of Bertie Botts. Malfoy returned soon after, sliding into the seat beside her, inserting his opinion that pumpkin was undeniably the best.  
____  
“You could definitely nail her, mate,” Malfoy declared haughtily, directing his attention toward Derek, who had been expressing interest in a girl from his Herbology class, “Send her a note in class telling her to meet you in the broom closet after class. Works every time.” Kyra rolled her eyes.  
“Will you stop talking? You’re not allowed to give advice anymore, you’re disgusting,” Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her comment, “Invite her to hang out back at the dorms one night. We could set up a movie night or something! Be sure to compliment how nice she looks when she gets here so she knows you’re interested.” Kyra could hear Malfoy snickering, though she avoided looking over at him and giving him the satisfaction.  
“Yeah great idea. Become friends with her first so you feel obligated to cuddle afterwards and make awkward small talk,” Kyra huffed, narrowing her eyes, “I’m telling you, just be straight up. The broom closet is ideal. There’s no potential for her hanging around after; quick and easy!” Kyra pressed her tongue into her cheek, irritated.  
“There’s no reason to be an asshole. Honestly, don’t listen to Malfoy. He’s a pig that doesn’t know how to treat women. You’ll notice he hasn’t gotten with anyone this year so obviously his methods are stellar.” Sarcasm was heavy in her voice as she concentrated on Derek, willfully looking past Malfoy.  
“I just don’t want to make you jealous, baby.” He cooed, a smirk rising to his lips. Kyra scoffed, a look of disgusted painted across her face.  
“Don’t call me baby.” She spat with venom in her voice. He raised an eyebrow, the smirk still plastered to his face. He had been particularly irritating today since she’d blown him off; any hint of that Malfoy had disappeared. Though this had been her plan, she was now partially regretting it as he had become nearly intolerable.  
“Will you two stop?” Derek pleaded, his eyes flickering between the two of us, “I’ll invite her over for a movie.” Kyra smiled triumphantly, Malfoy’s face falling in defeat.  
“This is such a mistake,” He whined, then turning toward Kyra, “When things go wrong for him, it will be your fault!” She shook her head with a laugh.  
\------------------  
Kyra returned a smile to Dean, who had moved to sit with his roommates. She glanced down at the empty seat to her left. As someone slid into the seat, she sighed and shut her eyes, hoping it wouldn’t be who she thought it was. Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes, spotting the head of white blonde hair and a set of icy blue eyes looking back at her.  
Malfoy had been sitting next to her the past few classes and while it may have been uncomfortable, they had gotten along. Today, however, she wanted nothing to do with him. After this weekend, she couldn’t stand to be near him. She’d been upset enough about the night at the bar but with his behavior, it was truly setting her on edge. She had no patience for him.  
She saw him open his mouth to speak but, thankfully, their teacher had made his way to the front of the class.  
“Hello everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend,” Their arithmancy teacher, Professor Barnes, started with a smile. Kyra sighed, trying to repress memories of the weekend, “I have your tests ready so I’ll hand them out now.” Professor Barnes was a short, plump man with a shiny, bald circle in the center of his head. He was quite friendly, a smile always warmed his face. Kyra grinned up at him as he placed her test down in front of her. As expected, she had received an A. Arithmancy was easy for her, math coming naturally. Barnes flashed his crooked teeth at her, “Good work, Harding.” Her eyes followed him as he set Malfoy’s test down, his smile fading, “Mister Malfoy, you should consider seeking out a tutor. Perhaps Miss Harding could be of assistance.” He wandered away, leaving Malfoy and Kyra alone in uncomfortable silence. She glanced down at his test. He’d gotten a D, though he seemed unphased.  
Her mouth drew up as she met his eyes. She gave him a sympathetic look, hoping he wouldn’t follow Barnes’ advice. She could feel her stomach folding into knots. The idea of spending more time with him sent waves of anxiety through her body. Malfoy was clearly capable of dark things if he was angry. Just because he had been protecting her before doesn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her if she got in his way.  
“Well what do you say, Harding? Meet me tonight after dinner over by the lake? Maybe I’ll even help you with potions.” A lump rose in her throat. Being around him was bad enough, never mind being alone with him.  
“Can’t we just stay in the common room?” She croaked, avoiding his gaze. He glanced skeptically at her, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.  
“No, I would never be able to concentrate,” Kyra quickly wracked her brain for another reason to stay in the common room but the professor was clearing his throat at the front of the room. Malfoy lowered his voice, “Don’t worry doll, you can trust me.” He winked before returning his attention to the front of the room.  
Kyra sat silently for the remainder of class, avoiding Malfoy’s gaze, quietly brainstorming ways to get out of meeting him tonight with little success.  
\--------------  
Idly twirling her thumbs, Kyra leaned back in the grass, staring up at the thin streaked clouds. The sky was stained pink, the faint buzz of fireflies filling the air. She took a deep breath, tightening her grip around the arithmancy textbook in her hands. She’d wandered down rather slowly after dinner but Malfoy was still not here.  
After nearly ten minutes, she let out a sigh, stretching and standing. She took several steps toward the door before it swung open, Malfoy striding out and stopping short as he spotted her.  
“You weren’t going to ditch me were you?” There was a smirk plastered to his face as he strut past her, settling in where she’d just been sitting. He turned back toward her, expectantly, “Well are you coming?” She rolled her eyes, begrudgingly returning to her spot beside him.  
“So what do you need help with?” Kyra started with a sigh, “Just this chapter?” She could have sworn she saw a flicker of embarrassment dance across his features.  
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” His voice was hesitant. Kyra grimaced, realizing this could be a long session. Nodding, she flipped the textbook open to the first chapter.  
Malfoy spent several minutes quietly listening to her explain the basics, his eyes flicking between the textbook and Kyra. After addressing the first concept, she stopped, “Is this making sense?” He shook his head, clearly discouraged, his eyebrows drawn together. She glanced up at him briefly before flipping forward to a chart on the next page. She ran her finger along it, explaining how it worked, hoping the visual guide would be easier for him to digest. He studied it carefully for a moment, following the line her finger had drawn. Kyra quieted for a moment to allow him to process her words, to which his head snapped back up expectantly. She continued, using another chart on the following page, quickly realizing how he learned best. They spent nearly thirty minutes flipping through the chapter, Malfoy occasionally asking a question but primarily just nodding his head.  
As the sun set, it became more difficult to read the pages and Kyra could feel his attention waning nearly halfway through the second chapter, “Why don’t we stop there?” she suggested quietly, bringing his attention back to her, as it had wandered out over the lake. He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair with a sigh before nodding.  
“Thank you for doing this, Kyra,” His voice was soft, lofty, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. The sound of crickets echoed through the emptied grounds around them, “I know you’re probably sick of me and I know this weekend has probably made it even more difficult to be around me but I really appreciate you doing this. I understand if you can’t forgive me for what I did to that piece of shit but please don’t be scared of me. I don’t want you think that’s who I am.” It was difficult to believe him. Her gut told her to trust him but her head was so certain he was dark- perhaps darker than she was willing to consider. His father was a killer. Malfoy may not have killed anyone but with a family that dark, there’s bound to be that potential in him.  
Kyra drew in a sharp breath, “Don’t mention it.” She couldn’t form words to express how he made her feel. This weekend had destroyed any progress they had made. Even with progress, however, it would never change anything. He was the spitting image of his father and it made it near impossible to look at him without the image of Lucius and Chelsea filling her mind. It may not have been his fault but she would never be capable of fully seeing past his family.  
She watched him carefully as he began to lean back, opening his mouth to speak again.  
“I’m going back inside. I’ll see you later.” Her words were rushed as she quickly jumped up, taking full strides away from him. She took care not to look back as she stepped back inside. She may not have been able to get away from him for very long but she needed a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i'm not sure if anyone is actually reading this but if you are, please comment and let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 10

Kyra poked sleepily at her breakfast, bits of scrambled eggs strewn across her plate. She was sitting in silence at the table in the cafeteria with Madison. The long tables were empty aside from a scattered few across the room.  
Glancing up, she noticed the spotted brown own that belonged to their family flying across the room. She dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table in front of her. Her dad worked at the paper so he had been sending her copies each week.  
She quickly spotted an article her father had circled in red, an interview with the new Minister of Magic. Upon further inspection, she noticed it was his own piece. She skimmed it briefly before her eyes travelled to a moving picture on the front page. The familiar face of Alecto Carrow stared back at her, unwavering. She gulped hard, memories of their punishment flooding her brain. She studied the page, identifying the article about the former professor. In large block letters in the center of the page read, “ALECTO CARROW FOUND NOT GUILTY, RELEASED.” Kyra’s heart stopped and she reread the article dozens of times, processing the words. Amycus had been found guilty and sentenced to death the previous week. Kyra had no doubt in her mind that Alecto was guilty. She was, often, more sadistic than her brother. She began to dissect the article; the ruling had been a shock to all following the trial. It seemed as though all signs pointed to her being found guilty. Kyra felt her stomach drop as she continued on, “Alecto and brother, Amycus, were suspected of involvement after confession from former deatheater, Draco Malfoy, nearly four months previous.” Nausea came in waves, her breathing nearly coming to a stop. Draco turned them in. Her mind reverted back to the conversation she had last week with him. He had mentioned that he had given names and that it had put him in danger but it hadn’t truly sunk in until now.  
Kyra quietly excused herself from the table, grabbing the paper and bolting toward the dorms, the second she was out of sight. She could hardly feel her feet hit the floor as she bounded down the halls, stopping short outside of the boy’s dorm. She rapped her hand against the door aggressively. Waiting impatiently, she tapped her foot on the floor. Marcus opened the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
“What are you doing, Kyra?” He asked, slight irritation ringing in his voice. Kyra attempted to search behind him for Malfoy.  
“Is Draco here? I need to talk to him.” Marcus stepped to the side, letting her past him. She strode into the dorm, looking around the room. It was identical to their own but backwards. She turned back toward Marcus and he pointed toward the room at the far end. She swung the door open, spotting Malfoy curled up in bed. The second bed was empty, leaving Malfoy and Kyra alone in the room as she shut the door behind her.  
She took in his sleeping figure, lying on his stomach. One of his long legs was stretched out, the other folded up at his waist. The mop of blonde hair was a mess, bits of hair sticking up in several directions, a bit of a knot forming on the back of his head. He stirred slightly before rolling onto his back. After a moment, he settled again.  
Kyra sat carefully on the edge of his bed, gently nudging his shoulder. He started up, frantically looking around for a moment, attempting to understand what was happening.  
“What are you doing here, Harding?” He demanded groggily. She held the paper up, pointing to the picture of Alecto. Malfoy froze, realization sinking in. His fear was unlike any she had ever seen. He didn’t move or speak, the only noise coming from the boys just outside the door. She could hear their conversation fairly clear. They were discussing, in hushed voices, their theories of why she had stormed in, followed by several crude comments. Kyra focused her attention back to Malfoy, whose expression had not been effected. He looked horrified; his eyes were dead, color drained from his face.  
“Draco?” His first name sounded foreign on her tongue. His eyes snapped up in her direction at the sound of her voice, pulling him from his thoughts, “If Alecto is free, does that mean you’re in danger?” Her voice was soft, cautious. She was certain of the answer but needed to hear him say it. She needed to know exactly what kind of danger he was in- the kind of danger they were all in.  
“It means I’ll be dead within the next two months.” His voice was steady, not giving away his fear anymore. A swell of emotion rose in Kyra’s gut, waves of nausea washing over her.  
“We won’t let her kill you.” She whispered, attempting to mask her feelings. He shook his head with determination.  
“There is no ‘we’, Harding. No one else knows who I am and no one else will. The more they know, the more danger they are in. I’m not going to let that happen.” He was sharp and didn’t falter. His mind was made up.  
“So you’re just going to let her kill you?” Kyra had raised her voice considerably, “Look, I know you think you deserve it or maybe you’re just scared or whatever but I’ve had to sit back and watch enough of my friends die because of death eaters. I’m not going to sit back anymore.” She was absolute and she was angry.  
“You lost a friend?” Malfoy’s voice was soft and gentle. His hypnotizing eyes were sympathetic. Kyra felt her stomach fall, realizing what she’d said.  
“I…yeah. My best friend was killed.” She stated sheepishly, hoping he would drop it. He fell silent for a minute, looking down.  
“What was she like?” He was practically inaudible. Kyra glanced up at him, her mouth drawn into a tight line. She didn’t want to talk about Chelsea with him.  
“She was the greatest person I’ve ever met. She was my best friend in the world and she made me laugh when no one else could. She was the only person I could talk to about my problems and now she’s gone. Can we not talk about it anymore?” he met her eyes briefly, nodding, “So what are you gonna do about Alecto?” She asked, quickly changing the subject.  
“I don’t know yet. I suppose for the time being I just keep my head down. I’m sure she’ll find me before too much longer but I’ll just have to deal with that when it happens.” The confidence had returned to his voice.  
“Is that really a good plan? Shouldn’t you have some sort of plan for when she finds you? Malfoy you can’t let her kill you. Please make a plan.” Kyra was pleading with him. She still wasn’t sure why she cared so much about his well being but the idea of losing him killed her.  
“Fine. You want to hear my plan, Kyra?” His voice had taken a dangerous tone. She nodded her head regardless, “My plan is to keep you safe at any costs. I honestly do not give a shit what happens to me but I need to make sure she doesn’t hurt you.” Her eyebrows drew together in confusion, “Or anyone else, ya know.” He added shortly after.  
“Well I won’t let her hurt you either.” She whispered, averting her eyes. She could feel Malfoy’s eyes on her. She didn’t want it to happen but she could feel herself warming up to him, “But you have to promise me you’ll fight.” She kept her eyes locked on his. She wasn’t going to stand down on this.  
Draco pressed his lips together, shutting his eyes for a moment in frustration. “Okay but only if you promise to tell me about your friend.” He noticed her visible discomfort, “It doesn’t have to be today but when I finally do make a plan, I want you to tell me.” Kyra relaxed slightly, nodding. She could deal with someday. A loud beeping sounded around the room as his alarm went off, “Alright, now get outta here so I can change – unless you want to stay and watch.” He offered with a smirk. Holding up her hands, Kyra stood but stopped at the door.  
She could feel a lump rising in the pit of her stomach. The boys were outside the door, talking animatedly about something she couldn’t quite make out. They were laughing and joking and carefree. It hit her full force at that moment how unprepared they were to fight a battle like this. These boys had never fought a war. They had no idea the sort of danger they were in. Alecto Carrow was a dangerous witch and she was angry. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know about Malfoy’s past. He cared about them and that alone put them in danger. Kyra could feel her skin begin to crawl as she listened to the muted sound of their laughter. She couldn’t keep them in the dark. Every one of their friends needed to know what they were up against. They all needed to prepare for the battle that was headed their way. Keeping this from them wasn’t helping anyone and she knew it.  
Kyra spun back around, noticing he had already stripped off his shirt and was peeling off his pants. He raised an eyebrow at her but she only ignored him as she pulled out her wand, muttering a silencing charm on the door.  
“Oooh silencing the door – you must get loud. I always had a feeling you would be.” He started with a wink. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest, shielding the slight view he had.  
“No,” She corrected him, hoping to avert his train of thought, “We need to tell them. We are all in danger and if we don’t tell them, all it will do is prevent them from preparing for this. They need to know what is coming so they can be ready when it happens. If you want to keep them safe, this is the way.” Kyra stood firm, attempting to keep her eyes off his uncovered skin. His eyes were briefly clouded as he considered her words. They focused on her again after a moment. He sighed and took a seat on his bed, putting his head in his hands.  
“They’re going to hate me.” He stated it matter-of-factly. Kyra chewed on the inside of her lip, realizing they might hate her too for keeping this from them. Sure, she had originally kept this from them because she was afraid he would hurt her but that simply wasn’t the case anymore. She should have told them from the start.  
“They’ll hate us both. But its better that they are prepared and can keep themselves safe. I would much rather lose them as friends than risk letting them get hurt because we didn’t warn them.” She had taken a seat beside him on the bed and he glanced up at her. They locked eyes and he refused to look away, causing a strange anxiety to flood her chest that she hadn’t felt before. Her heart was beating faster again as his icy blue eyes connected with hers. She could feel her breathing begin to falter and finally tore herself away from his gaze.  
“We need to tell them now. Why don’t you get the girls and meet us in your dorm?” He suggested quietly. Kyra took a deep breath, seemingly trying to regulate her breathing. Nodding, she quickly stood, making her way out of his room, grabbing the newspaper off the bed before she left.  
Kyra moved quickly through the halls, weaving in and out of crowds of students that seemed to have just flooded out of their rooms. She’d never made it to the cafeteria so quickly before. She spotted Ellie and Hayden sitting with Madison in the spot she’d been in earlier. She sighed deeply, realizing her friendships with these girls could dissolve after this. With all the courage she had left, she strode confidently to the table and leaned down over them.  
“So I really need to talk to you girls. I hate to make a scene but it’s really important and I need you guys to come back to the dorm with me. I can’t get into it here but we need to talk right now.” She received several puzzled faces in return but they all came with little questioning.  
As they made it back to the dorm, the boys were already sitting on the couches, Malfoy pacing back and forth in the kitchen. They made eye contact again as she walked in and he nodded softly. She could feel her anxiety rising and she asked the girls to sit down. Malfoy wandered back over to where Kyra stood in the center of the room, facing the group.  
He glanced at her one final time before taking a deep breath and speaking, “So we have to tell you all something…”


	12. Chapter 11

“So I should have told you all this from the beginning but there’s something you don’t know about me.” Draco was speaking cautiously, choosing every word carefully. Kyra took deep labored breaths, watching everyone’s faces anxiously, “When I was at Hogwarts, I had bad decisions forced upon me. My parents were followers of….well to be blunt, they were followers of Voldemort.” Shock graced the faces of everyone around the room, “As he was rising to power, I was forced to follow in their footsteps to stay alive.” He paused for a moment, an uncomfortable silence falling on the dorm, “So I was a deatheater in my last two years at Hogwarts. It was something I would never have chosen for myself and I’m ashamed of it but you all needed to know.”  
“Why would you decide to tell us now?” Hayden piped up in a nervous, quiet voice Kyra had never heard her use before.  
“Because after the war, I went to trial and I was required to give up some names. This made the remaining followers very angry so I came here. Unfortunately word got out about where I am. But now, someone very dangerous has been found not guilty and she is undoubtedly going to come find me. That being said, this will put all of you in danger. You all need to prepare for this. You need to be ready in case she comes.” Everyone’s eyes darted around, nervously looking at each other. Kyra gulped.  
“Did you know about this, Kyra?” Eli asked, disappointment practically dripping from his voice. Kyra nodded, biting her lip. She was overwhelmed with emotion and was near the verge of tears. She couldn’t handle everyone’s disappointed looks.  
“I made Kyra promise not to tell you. She wanted to tell you from the beginning. This isn’t her fault.” Malfoy quickly inserted. Kyra glanced over at him, thankfully. She hadn’t expected him to defend her but she was incredibly grateful. “Now I know you will probably hate me. I put you in danger and I’ve been a part of something beyond terrible. I don’t expect you to forgive me or like me but I do need you to prepare for what’s coming. You don’t need to like me but you need to be ready. You need to practice your defensive spells. You need to practice your offensive spells. You need to be prepared to put everything you have learned your entire lives to use because you will need it.” Looks were exchanged around the room for several moments after he finished speaking. Kyra kept her eyes glued to the ground.  
“I can’t speak for everyone here,” Kyra’s head flew up at the sound of Derek’s voice, “But I like you bro. You’re a good dude and I’m ready to fight for you if it comes to that.” His voice was confident and met by several nods around the room. Malfoy visibly relaxed, the hint of a smile forming on his face.  
“Okay well we need to figure out a plan. And we should probably start practicing spells in our free time. We need to do everything we can to be ready for this.” Kyra and Draco took seats alongside the rest of the group, beginning to plan. They skipped their classes for the day, figuring out the best plan of action, attempting to predict the most likely ways Alecto would attack.  
“Since she isn’t going to want to end up back in Azkaban, she will want to attack in a way that attracts as little attention as possible. People can’t apparate into the school right?” Ellie asked.  
“No I don’t think so. She would have to find another way in or find a way to lure me out.” Draco responded, his eyes nervously flickering to the newspaper that was laying on the table in front of us.  
“What about the floo network? Would she be able to get in through our fireplace?” Marcus asked, nervously eying the fireplace across the room.  
“No they don’t let you in through the school fireplaces.” Kyra answered, discouraged, “I think she would have to break in somehow. It will be harder for her but not impossible. Draco, how long do you think it will be before she tries to attack?” Malfoy sat quietly for a moment, his face twisted up in thought.  
“She will probably wait until after Amycus has been executed so it will probably be another two or three months.” Draco mused, sighing. There was hardly any time to get everyone fully prepared for this. Three months wasn’t long enough to train for a battle. It was time to admit they may be in over their heads.  
“Do you think that maybe we should call in some back up?” Kyra suggested quietly, nearly inaudible. She was nervous about suggesting this. Malfoy’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “I know there is some tension there but maybe we should consider calling in what’s left of Dumbledore’s Army…” Her voice trailed off. Quite a few members of the DA had been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts but there was still a decent amount left. While Kyra had never been particularly close with Harry, Ron, or Hermione, she had gotten to know Fred and George rather well. Chelsea had dated George on and off for most of fifth year. They were together when the twins decided to drop out and start the shop. She knew that if she called him, he would surely come. Kyra had also gotten very well acquainted with Neville during her seventh year. They were practically a couple when the battle happened. After she lost Chelsea, though, she couldn’t be around anyone. She had only seen him at the funeral since.  
“I don’t think they would come to protect me.” Draco started, frustration lacing his voice, “You’ll remember I wasn’t exactly close with any of them.” Kyra let out a deep sigh. He wasn’t wrong. Harry and Draco’s rivalry was often the topic of school rumors.  
“It doesn’t hurt to try though. They know how to fight a war and they did a pretty good job training kids in Dumbledore’s Army. They were teaching everyone how to fight in battle. That is exactly what we need right now. It might not work but I think we need to at least attempt to reach out.” Kyra watched Draco carefully, studying the conflict that was etched onto his face. He was hesitant but Kyra knew this was probably their only chance at beating Deatheaters. Malfoy finally conceded, letting out a deep sigh and nodding. With a small smile, Kyra stood up to start her letter.  
“Dear Neville,” She scrawled onto the blank sheet of paper, “I know it’s been a while. After I lost Chelsea, I needed some time to figure out who I was. I’m in America now at Fanderbold. I know that this may seem strange but I need a favor from you.” Kyra paused, considering the best way to approach this. Malfoy had never been particularly kind to Neville, “You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t incredibly important. I need you to gather as much of Dumbledore’s Army as you can. The group of friends I’ve made at university is in danger. They don’t know how to fight the battle that is coming and I can’t think of anyone better to teach them than the Army. Please, please help me, Neville. If you could gather them as soon as possible, I would be forever in your debt. Please get back to me soon. I miss you. –Kyra.” She folded up her letter, quietly excusing herself as she disappeared out of the dorm, shuffling into the owlery. Kyra guiltily attached the letter to one of the owl’s feet and sent him away. She had a nagging feeling in her gut for not telling Neville why she really needed him but she couldn’t risk him not coming. This was too important.  
When she got back to the dorm, the group was discussing practical ways to defend themselves and having a brief discussion about the best spells to use in battle. They eventually spread out to different areas of the dorm, Kyra and Eli finding a spot in the corner where he turned to her and gave her a stern look that made her quite nervous.  
“So you’ve known about this since he got here, huh?” Eli started in the same disappointed tone he had used when they first talked about it. Kyra’s eyes drifted to the floor.  
“Well I knew he had been a deatheater at Hogwarts. I didn’t realize being around him would put anyone in danger.” That was not necessarily true. She anticipated a different sort of danger -- one that would come from Malfoy attacking her directly, “I only found out about that around two weeks ago. He insisted that it was safest for you all if you didn’t know anything about him.” Eli narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.  
“Why did you trust him? You knew he was a deatheater. Why would you listen to him when he told you not to tell anyone? How did you know he could be trusted? You told me you didn’t like him at Hogwarts,” Kyra cringed, remembering the night she had accidently told him that, “So why did you decide to trust him here?” She glanced back down at the ground, attempting to decide on an answer that didn’t divulge the details of how he threatened her into staying quiet.  
“Well I mean, I definitely didn’t like or trust him when he got here,” She started cautiously, “But he insisted that he wasn’t really the person I knew then. He asked me to give him another chance to prove he was a different person and I’ve always believed in second chances.” It was not entirely true. He had tried to convince her he wasn’t the same person but she had not believed him. She, even today, was not entirely forgiving about the things that happened because of his family. Eli sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “But he did.” He glanced back up at her at the sound of her voice, “He proved to me that he wasn’t that person. He showed that he is capable of being an incredible person who truly cares for people. He surprised me and I’m glad I gave him a chance because he would do anything to protect any of us.” The words took Kyra by surprise as they fell from her mouth.   
“So why aren’t you two together yet?” Eli replied with a smirk. Kyra sat up straight, furrowing her brow, “Oh come on, Kyra. You clearly have feelings for him and he very clearly has feelings for you too.” He cocked his head to the side in Malfoy’s directly. Kyra’s gaze followed and spotted Draco standing across the room, watching them. He quickly averted his eyes as Kyra looked over. She returned her attention to Eli, shaking her head decisively.  
“I don’t like him like that. He has become a friend I guess but I don’t like him.” At this point, Kyra wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, “There is too much there. I could never see him like that.” Eli raised an eyebrow at her before rolling his eyes. A smirk then rose to his face and his eyes panned up. Kyra felt a tap on her shoulder. She quietly huffed, realizing why Eli was smirking without having to look.  
“Kyra, can I talk to you?” The familiar, smooth voice sounded behind her. Eli stood and kept his eyes trained on Kyra, giving her a knowing look as he wandered away. Draco took the seat Eli had just been sitting in, “So we made a plan,” He started slowly, a smile dragging onto his face, “That means you need to tell me more about your friend.” Kyra grimaced, she was hoping this moment was months away.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to just wait until after the battle? Or ya know, never.” She knew that telling Malfoy about Chelsea would only make her vulnerable and that was the last thing she needed with him. She couldn’t even bring herself to think about the way he would feel once he knew. He shook his head so she continued begrudgingly, “Okay but you asked for this – remember that.” Kyra paused, waiting for him to urge her on. Malfoy kept his eyes glued to her, expectantly, “So Chelsea had been my friend since we were five. Our parents grew up together and she was like a sister to me. We were in Hufflepuff together and spent all of our time together. She was always making me laugh and smile. She knew everything about me and she was the only person I could go to. She had this fire inside her that I’ve never seen in anyone. That’s the irony, really. She was so alive – so passionate about life – and she died at 17. She brought out the best in me and now she’s gone.” Malfoy was carefully watching Kyra’s emotions as she gushed.  
“How did she die?” His voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper. The color was suddenly gone from Kyra’s face. Her stomach plummeted ten floors and she was nauseous. She was going to have to tell him. She made a snap decision to avoid Lucius’ name to spare Draco’s feelings. He didn’t need to know the entire story.  
“We were fighting in the battle. It was me and her against three other deatheaters. We managed to chase away two of them. I looked away for half a second and that was all it took. He sent a curse that hit some rubble above her. It crushed her. I ran over as quickly as I could and tried to pull it off her but it was too late. I stood up and started hurling curses so he ran. I went back and held her but there was nothing I could do. She died in my arms.” Kyra nearly whispered the last sentence, her eyes glazed over. There was a lump forming in her throat and the familiar sting of tears burned at the back of her eyes. She gulped to hold back the tears, taking care not to blink and allow the tears to fall.  
“Who was the deatheater?” Kyra froze, she had to lie. She couldn’t just tell him that his father killed her best friend. She had to lie and she had to make it convincing.  
“Lucius.” The word fell quickly from her mouth and she snapped her mouth shut immediately. So much for lying convincingly. It hung in the air for nearly a minute, the tension so thick she couldn’t breathe. Draco’s face was frozen, staring without seeing at a space beside Kyra’s head. He wasn’t responding. “Draco?” He still didn’t respond. He was unmoving, completely frozen in place. Kyra cautiously moved her arm forward, placing her hand on his arm, shocking him into consciousness.  
“I’m so sorry, Kyra. I had no idea.” His icy blue eyes were locked with hers, compassion lacing his voice, “It’s no wonder you didn’t want anything to do with me. I never would have forced my way into your life if I’d known. I’m so sorry.” Kyra’s hand fell from his arm and she attempted to tear herself away from his intense gaze.  
“It isn’t your fault. You didn’t kill her.” Her voice was quiet and serious. She wasn’t going to admit that she had been blaming him regardless. Malfoy shook his head.  
“I’m just so sorry.” He muttered. Kyra nodded in understanding. As much as she wanted to forgive him—as much as she knew she needed to forgive him—a piece of her hadn’t been able to let go. Before he had known the truth, she latched onto him because he was as close to Lucius as she could get. As she looked into his eyes now, however, all she felt was the crushing weight of that blame washing over her. As he looked at her with intensity and sorrow, the blame she had placed on him was as far from her mind as possible. She gazed into his eyes and Eli’s words began to make sense. Everyone’s words began to make sense. Kyra reached a level of clarity she hadn’t felt since before Chelsea had died. She quickly became acutely aware of his hand gently resting on her leg and the fire beneath his fingertips.  
“Please don’t be sorry, Draco. I don’t blame you.” And for once, Kyra actually meant it.


	13. Chapter 12

Dear Kyra,  
I’m so glad to hear from you! No one here had any idea where you had gone. We hadn’t seen you after the funeral and we were starting to get worried. I’ve gotten in contact with Harry and a few others from DA. I’ve got probably ten or so people on board. With Hogwarts still under construction, most people didn’t have anywhere to go this year. We will be heading over this week. Hope you’ve got room there for all of us! I can’t wait to see you again!  
Neville  
Kyra reread the letter numerous times, excitement and guilt absorbing her every thought. She was beyond thrilled that everyone had agreed to help but she knew that it would really take some convincing to get everyone to agree once they knew they were really protecting Draco Malfoy. She was just hoping that she could get them to hear her out. She was fairly confident that if she could get them to listen to what she had to say, she could convince them that it was worth staying—if not for Draco then for her roommates who were innocent. However, Kyra also knew that for this to truly work, it would be important that Draco apologized for everything that happened at Hogwarts and that might prove slightly difficult.  
She had been strategically avoiding him over the past few days. In part because she wanted to spend time with the girls and insure that this hadn’t hurt their friendships at all. However, it was also largely because her moment of clarity had brought forward feelings for Draco that she was not quite prepared to face. As childish as it felt, avoiding him was the only thing keeping her sane for the time being.  
Kyra finally folded the letter back up, bounding down the steps of the owlery. She attempted to compose herself a moment before stepping back inside the door. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to tell everyone that she hadn’t exactly told Neville the truth about the reason he was coming. As much as she was dreading it, however, she knew she should probably warn Draco—as well as talk to him about how important it is that he apologizes.  
As Kyra swung open the door of the dorm, she was immediately ducking out of the way of a curse that hit the door behind her, leaving a blackened mark. Her head shot up as she noticed Ellie across the room, her face instantly turning red.   
Everyone in the group had been practicing their defensive and offensive spells in their free time over the past few days. Unfortunately, they had yet to find an appropriate space to practice in and so ended up practicing in the dorm. This had led to several broken dishes as well as a hole in Ellie and Madison’s bedroom door.  
“I got a reply.” Kyra stated, excitement high in her voice, causing everyone’s heads to snap up in her direction. “He said that he got about ten or so people that are going to come over and help us out!” There were several murmurs of excitement buzzing around the room. It was difficult to imagine that everyone was so excited about learning how to fight in this battle. “They should be here in the next week so for now we will keep practicing on our own and try to get ready for them. He didn’t say exactly who was coming but with ten people, we are going to need to figure out places for all of them to sleep. Maybe in the next week we can find other furniture for people to sleep on? I’m not sure but we will figure it out.” Kyra finished speaking and everyone seemed to dissolve into a frantic buzz.   
Striding past them, Kyra stepped into her room, placing the letter on the table beside her bed. She tucked it in between a few books and turned back around on her heel. Kyra jumped nearly a foot when she turned around and discovered Malfoy a few mere inches from her face. He backed up quickly but kept his eyes trained on her.  
“Have you been avoiding me?” He asked coolly, a hint of his typical cocky attitude gleaming through in his tone.  
“The DA doesn’t know you’re the one they are coming back to help. It’s going to take some convincing to get them to stay but I think we can do it. But I think you are going to need to apologize for everything that happened back at Hogwarts if you are going to get them on your side.” Kyra spewed in a less-than-subtle attempt to avoid answering his question. Draco’s eyes widened in a concerning mixture of surprise and anger.  
“Kyra, how could you not tell them this was about me?” He was livid but speaking in a hushed shout as to not attract the attention of the group. “They are never going to agree to help once they find out I’m the one they are here to help protect. They all hate me, Kyra. All you’re going to do is make them angry!” Kyra bit her lip nervously, averting her eyes to the floor. This was certainly a possibility but she had really been convincing herself that it wouldn’t come to that.  
“I think we’ll be okay. I think as long as I can get them to sit down and hear me out, I can convince them that it's worth staying. They might not like you but Hayden and Ellie and Madison and Marcus and Eli and Derek are all innocent people that need to be protected. Besides, like I said, if you apologize for everything you did to them, I think we shouldn’t have an issue. Yes, it won’t be perfect and you won’t be best friends but I think they will agree to help us. As much as they disliked you, I don’t think they would be okay with leaving you to die.” Draco let out an irritated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.  
“I swear, Kyra, you’re trying to kill me yourself with the amount of stress you cause.” Kyra smirked up at him, noticing the lopsided grin he was sporting. Her breathing caught in her throat for a moment but she quickly regained herself.  
“Oh come on-- you’re Draco Malfoy. If you can’t even handle me, the legends are horribly misleading.” He raised an eyebrow at her, his signature smirk returning to his face, a devious flicker behind his eyes.  
He took a few steps closer to her, causing her to back up to the wall. Kyra’s breathing stopped as she felt her back hit the wall. Malfoy took another step, close enough for their bodies to barely brush. “Believe me, Hardings—I can handle you.” He whispered into her ear, leaning into her. “I just don’t think you could handle me.” He stepped back abruptly, the same smirk plastered to his face before he turned and left the room. Kyra remained frozen to the wall, unable to even consider moving. She finally let out the breath she had been holding in, unpeeling herself from the wall and briefly sitting down on her bed to collect herself. As much as she hadn’t been willing to admit it, Draco Malfoy had an effect on her that she had never experienced before and that was something that scared her more than anything in the world.


	14. Chapter 13

“Do you really think Harry is going to come with them?” Ellie mused, pushing the couch into place. Kyra rolled her eyes; Ellie had been making it exceedingly clear that she was a bit of a fangirl. Kyra was nervous it would become a small issue but she pushed it from her mind.  
“I don’t know, Ellie. Neville said that he had talked to Harry and they had gotten people together. He didn’t mention if Harry was coming but he helped get a hold of people. He’s probably pretty busy though, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.” She explained for probably the fifteenth time this week. It had been nine days since Kyra had gotten the letter from Neville so people were due to arrive very soon. They had managed to scrounge up another 2 couches for each dorm. Two people would have to sleep in chairs but it was the best they could do. There was hardly enough space for the couches as it was.   
A loud knock sounded at the door, causing Kyra to jump slightly before heading to open it. Draco stood on the other side, worry etched onto his face. He stepped past her and immediately began pacing around the room, swerving around the obstacle course of couches.  
“They’re here. I saw them. They were wandering around the entrance. Potter was talking to the headmaster. I ran here as quickly as I could. What do you want me to do? Should I be here when they get here or do you want to talk to them first?” He was rambling, running his fingers through his hair and quickly pacing around the room, “Merlin, this is such a horrible idea, Kyra. None of them will want to help me. This is such a mistake. Why did we invite them here?” Kyra grabbed his shoulders tightly, stopping him in his spot. She looked him directly in the eyes, trying her hardest not to falter as he met her with those captivating icy eyes.  
“Draco, stop.” She said confidently, “It’s going to be fine but you need to calm down. Go sit in my room. I’ll talk to them and I’ll come get you when we’re ready for you. Now go and try to relax. It is going to be okay. Think up some great apology while you’re waiting.” He sighed dejectedly, hanging his head, turning to slump into Kyra’s room. He stopped at the door, looking back at her. She simply waved him away so he continued in, shutting the door behind him.  
“He said Potter!” Ellie squealed, clearly having held it in. Kyra rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to respond but was interrupted by another knock at the door. She beamed excitedly at Ellie and shuffled to the door, inhaling deeply before opening the door.  
She was met with an enthusiastic smile from a boy clad in an argyle sweater. His goofy lopsided grin sent a warm sensation through her body, the smell of plums and cinnamon reminding her of her old life. She grinned back at him, quickly wrapping him up in a hug that seemed to take him by surprise. However, he was soon hugging her back, his arms tightly wrapped around her. He felt familiar in a way Kyra didn’t even realize she needed. She was reluctant to let go as he began to pull away from her.   
“I’ve missed you, Kyra.” Neville cooed, taking in her appearance. Her mouth curled into a meek smile.  
“I missed you too, Neville.” They looked intently at each other for a few moments before there was a cough behind them. Kyra glanced up spotting George standing behind Neville. He had a full grin plastered to his face as he towered over her. She quickly broke away from Neville’s gaze and crashed into George’s open arms. He squeezed her for all she was worth, her feet raising off the ground slightly before he pulled away. Despite how on and off George and Chelsea were, he had been a staple in Kyra’s life since fourth year. The battle had been devastating for both of them and it was now abundantly clear to her that, perhaps, they could have helped each other.  
Kyra stood back, opening up the doorway, to allow everyone into the dorm. It was then that she got a full look at everyone that had managed to make it out. She waved as Seamus Finnigan passed her, wondering absent-mindedly if he knew what was really going on, considering Dean was here and knew Kyra had become close with Draco. She offered a small smile and wave to Ginny, Cho, and Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff from her year that she had never gotten very close with. Luna lazily flittered toward her, draping her arms around her in a bizarre hug. Kyra had become fairly friendly with Luna during their seventh year when they were in DA together. Luna was one of the only people that had managed to receive an owl back from Kyra after the battle.   
Kyra smiled and ushered Luna inside and saw that the couches in the room had filled rather quickly. Ellie was standing in the kitchen, appearing rather disappointed, likely due to the fact that Harry was nowhere to be seen. Madison and Hayden had taken a spot near Eli, Marcus, and Derek and were whispering to each other, seemingly attempting to place names to the kids in front of them. Kyra took a deep breath, and cleared her throat, standing tall in the center of the room.  
“So is everyone here?” She asked, her voice sounding less confident than she had hoped it be.   
“Harry, Ron, and Hermione got pulled away by the headmaster but they should be here pretty soon.” Neville piped up, making a strong eye contact that Kyra couldn’t bear to keep. She glanced over to the kitchen, spotting the look of pure glee that had risen to Ellie’s face now that she knew for certain that Harry was here.  
“Well before I get into why we needed you all, why don’t we wait for them? For now, we can just get acquainted with one another and pick back up once we’re all here.” Kyra took a seat in an empty armchair and allowed everyone to wander around the room, introducing themselves. She glanced up as she noticed Seamus hovering above her.  
“I just wanted you to know that I know why we’re here. Dean told me about who you became friends with this year. He says that he’s not so bad and thinks I should give him a chance. I’m not sure that you’ll convince everyone but you should know that I’m willing to stick it out and see how it goes.” Kyra gave a broad smile and nodded.  
“That means so much to me, Seamus. I know how this must seem but I promise, he really is a different person now.” He merely nodded, moving into the kitchen, introducing himself to Ellie while attempting to look suave by leaning against the fridge. Kyra chuckled to herself and perked up as yet another knock sounded at the door. She rose to her feet, nearly stumbling over her legs and swung open the door. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood on the other side of the door, seemingly healthier than she had seen them in years. Kyra offered quick hello’s before showing them into the room. Kyra watched in amusement as Ellie zipped across the dorm, stopping short in front of Harry, clumsily introducing herself and shaking his hand. Kyra cleared her throat and asked everyone to sit down.  
Her nerves ran rampant as she looked out at all the sets of eyes. They were all so loyal. Kyra hadn’t been very close with most of the people in this room and they still flew across the world when she called them. She was suddenly filled with an immense desire to abandon this plan—Draco could handle himself—these people were the friends she needed to surround herself and if she told them she had called them here for Draco Malfoy they would never trust her again.  
Kyra took a deep breath and her eyes fell over Seamus, who was sporting a wide, knowing smile. She gave a meek smile in return and glanced at Neville. His kind eyes studied her expectantly. Kyra let out a final sigh and blinked hard.  
“So as you all know, I called you here because my friends and I are in danger. I’m sure you have all heard that Alecto Carrow was recently found innocent. We have reason to believe that she, as well as a few other deatheaters, may be looking to come here and hurt us.” The room was stiff and silent for a moment, the air not moving.  
“Why would Alecto want to hurt you?” Luna piped in hardly above a whisper. Kyra braced herself, inhaling deeply.  
“Because this year one of the kids in my roommates’ friend group turned out to be a bit problematic. I want you all to be open minded when I tell you this…” Kyra trailed off, carefully watching the expressions on the faces of her friends. “I know you all will have your reservations and I don’t expect you to be warm and welcoming but I need you to step back from the situation and hear me out.” She paused, the familiar sensation of vomit rising in her throat but she pushed it back, “This year, I’ve become friends with Draco Malfoy.” Silence. No one spoke for nearly a minute. Kyra couldn’t bring herself to continue talking as everyone gaped at her in disbelief.  
“Kyra you can’t be serious.” Harry finally spoke, breaking the silence.  
“You have got to be mad.” Ron joined in, finding his voice. Kyra wished he hadn’t because he had gotten quite loud, “Tell me you didn’t call all of us over here—pull us away from our lives—to help Draco Malfoy. You must be barking mad. Why on Earth would I help that git?” He continued in a volume that caused Kyra to cringe away from him.  
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, “He isn’t the person you knew in Hogwarts. Believe me, I had trouble accepting it too but I’ve gotten to really know him this past month and he isn’t a bad person. He surprised me and I think if you gave him a chance, he could surprise you too.”  
Several looks of skepticism were traded throughout the room, setting Kyra on edge. Her eyes connected with Neville’s. His apprehension was clearly scrawled across his face. Kyra knew she was asking too much of her friends but she had no other option.  
“I’m in.” Seamus spoke confidently, causing everyone to gawk in his direction. Kyra gave him a thankful look, breathing easier now. She was now just hoping it would encourage the others to agree as well. However, no one else was speaking; Kyra knew she would need to convince them a bit more.  
“Look, even if you don’t do this for Draco, do it for my other roommates. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. They don’t know how to fight a battle and they could use some practical training in defending themselves. Please,” She begged, “Don’t let your feelings for Draco get in the way. They could be seriously hurt if they don’t have training. Please, you don’t owe him anything but I’m begging you. Do it for me. Do it for my roommates. Do it because you know that I wouldn’t have called you here unless I truly thought Draco was worth protecting. Trust me, please.” There were several minutes of silence while telling looks were exchanged. Just Kyra was certain her nerves couldn’t stand anymore, Susan stood up.  
“Kyra, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. Draco Malfoy tormented me in school and I’m not going to sit here and risk my life to protect him.” She fumbled slowly to the door, shutting it loudly behind her. Kyra was quite certain now that she was going to throw up. This was certainly not a good sign.  
She glanced around, hoping to make eye contact with someone but everyone was avoiding her gaze. Finally her eyes connected with George. She gave him a pleading look, giving him all the emotion she could through her eyes. He sighed, his lips folding into a tight line.  
“I trust you, Kyra. I’ll stay.” He declared with an edge of irritation in his voice.  
“Well I think you’re mad. I’m not doing anything for that git. Sorry, Kyra, but I’m out.” Ron fumed, though he kept his seat beside Harry. Kyra’s eyes finally connected with Harry’s, though she couldn’t read him.  
“I’m not going to stay for Malfoy.” Harry finally voiced, Kyra’s heart fell. Without Harry, everyone else was sure to leave, “But I’ll stay for you and your roommates.” Her breathing hitched and she shut her eyes briefly, taking a deep, appreciative breath. She held up one finger, urging them all to stay where they were.  
Kyra decided now was the time. She quickly headed to her bedroom, opening the door, slipping inside. She spotted Draco sitting on her bed, looking intently at Kyra’s photo of Chelsea. Kyra quickly ripped it from his hands, tucking it away again. Draco glanced up at her, embarrassed. She merely rolled her eyes and took a seat beside him.  
“I assume you’ve been listening, not just messing with my personal belongings?” She spoke, irritation ringing through her voice.  
“Yeah, it sounds like its going better than I expected.” Kyra nodded, keeping her face neutral.  
“I think you need to come out now. If you apologize, we might be able to win over everyone else.” Draco shot her a look that normally would have made her falter. However, today, she knew what needed to be done. “You cannot expect these people to just forget about everything you’ve done to them. Suck it up, be a big boy, and go apologize for being an asshole for 8 years.” He scowled at her, his silvery blue eyes narrowed.  
“Fine.” He spat, standing abruptly and storming out of the room. He stopped short the moment he actually passed over the door frame, every set of eyes in the room swiveling to look at him. Kyra had never seen Draco like his. His body was rigid and she stepped forward, placing a hand on his back, urging him forward. He stumbled a bit but quickly regained his composure and strode to the front of the room, every set of eyes following him.  
“Hi.” His voice was quiet as he addressed the room filled with people he knew actively hated him. He glanced over at Kyra who gave him an encouraging smile. “So I know that none of you are my biggest fans and I understand. I was cruel to all of you at Hogwarts and I want you to know that I’m sorry.” Ron scoffed across the room, seemingly shaking Draco’s concentration. “I…um…I really am sorry. I was terrible to you and none of you deserved it. I don’t expect any of you to like me. I don’t even expect you to accept my apology but I do want you to know that I am truly sorry for everything that I’ve done to you in the past. I’m hoping that someday we can work past it and maybe even be friends.” Kyra could see the pain the last sentence caused him. Draco may have been different but he certainly wasn’t looking to be friends with Harry Potter. He was visibly uncomfortable and began to shift his weight between his legs, waiting for a response. The room fell into a stale, awkward silence.  
Kyra stood beside Draco, ushering him to the seat she had just been sitting in, causing Cho to scoot further into the couch.  
“So, I know it’s not what any of you were expecting but I’m hoping you’ll be willing to stay and help us. What do you say?”


End file.
